Anxiety Disorder keeping me prisoner in my own Home!

[Nathangibson257]

Hi,
I have been living with Anxiety for past few years now things was getting worse during Autumn/Winter 2013 didnt couldnt leave my house without Panic/Anxiety following me! was like this till about summer of 2014 finally sucked up the Courage to go and see my Doctor who was very understanding and put me on Citalopram 20mg and I was all good and back to myself again I was able to go out and about in my local area with out feeling Anxious!
Then in Spring of 2015 I was working as a Courier travelling the whole of the UK in my Van! then in end of 2015 came the company I worked for went bust and I was made unemployed but i was still out and about in my car! Didnt really have any Anxiety in 2016 apart from the little hiccup now and then then went into 2017 and start of the year was fine then I was taking a friend in my car about 20 miles away and then the Anxiety came back and it was here to stay! felt really bad and my Anxiety was out of control!
Then in Feb of 2017 I went back to my Doctor who upped my Dosage from 20mg to 40mg of Citalopram and after a few weeks of my body adjusting I was okay again for a few months until about July when I had family come over for a weekend and I had one of the worst anxiety i had ever felt before kept me up all night that Saturday my family was having a party for my 21st and i could barely leave my room becuase my anxiety was racing!!! tried everything to keep my mind off it! it calmed down a bit after everything went back to normal but I was prisoner of my own home! I can barely get myself to the shop which is 1/4 of mile away! Doctor put me on Sertraline 50mg in middle of August 2017 and been just under a month now and I still feel like before! I dont want to be like this for the rest of my life!!!

[lior]

Hey, sorry to hear you're feeling this way.

You won't be exactly like this for the rest of your life. Now, you will start to learn how to deal with these emotions and sensations.

Do you know what triggers your anxiety?
You mention travelling a lot, and your family. Do you think these things might trigger your anxiety - something in particular about them?
Have you considered counselling or another kind of therapy? Meds alone can't treat the root cause of anxiety.

[Nathangibson257]

No they just come and build up on there own :( and yes anxiety takes control when i have to go far from my house and just builds and builds until it becomes an anxiety attack!

[eeyorelover]

I was housebound for 5 years. Not fun!
The only way I was able to take back my life was to allow myself to have the anxiety, no matter how bad it felt at the time, and not retreat back into a safe place. I did it in stages and went farther and farther from home.
I can now go anywhere without anxiety trailing me around.
Still working on driving! That's my last hurdle.
You can do this! It doesn't have to be a lifelong struggle but it will take a while and won't be easy.
Face the anxiety head on and push a little at a time to prove to yourself you are stronger than it is
xxx

[Nathangibson257]

wow! thats amazing! and when im in my safe zone i feel like i have ability to do it! but when i try to the Anxiety and panic just takes over and i rush myself back to into my house quickly as I can!

[elizabeth45]

Hiya I'm struggling every day with anxiety and am housebound over breathing inability to get a full breath I'm isolated only 4 houses where I live anyone out til tea time so I also panic in the house don't feel safe anywhere fed up :(

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[pulisa]

I was housebound for 5 years. Not fun!
The only way I was able to take back my life was to allow myself to have the anxiety, no matter how bad it felt at the time, and not retreat back into a safe place. I did it in stages and went farther and farther from home.
I can now go anywhere without anxiety trailing me around.
Still working on driving! That's my last hurdle.
You can do this! It doesn't have to be a lifelong struggle but it will take a while and won't be easy.
Face the anxiety head on and push a little at a time to prove to yourself you are stronger than it is
xxx

Really great advice for you, Nathan. It sounds straightforward but it's certainly not and it requires determination and complete conviction that you're literally heading in the right direction.

Elizabeth, I very much empathise with you. Sometimes there is no safe place, even in your own home. Is there anyone who could visit you at home to help and support you with your agoraphobia? A CPN from your local community mental health resource services?

[Nathangibson257]

Im going to have to try this for the next few weeks!

[eeyorelover]

Right before I became housebound I started having panic attacks in public places.
Waiting in the store check out was awful. I would literally leave everything in the cart and run out of the store.
So I didn't go to the store anymore.
That caused my world to get smaller and smaller.
By the time I started to address it, I was literally stuck in my house.
Walking out on the porch threw me into a panic.
With the encouragement I found on this site I faced it a little at a time.
People would let me know it was a process. Of course I would have anxiety. I needed to feel it and realize it wasn't going to kill me. Face it.
And I did.
As I said a little at a time.
I want to tell you that at first you are going to feel horribly drained after because the anxiety will be intense. You will want to quit. DON'T!
You are stronger than you know!!
Keep at it and it will get easier.
xxx

[elizabeth45]

Hiya everyone thanks for getting back didn't realise how many people suffer it's awful I really need to push myself I have friends call who want to take me out I always try but end up having to come home it's just so hard :(

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