Problem during exposure: legs buckling

[Neurotic Nick]

Hello everyone, atm i have fairly extreme agoraphobia. I had a bit of a breakdown last october and even around the house i had constant panic attacks so i pretty much could not go outside at all. I had to give my dog up to my mother and she had to do all my shopping. Through gradual exposure im now at a point where i can drive around, visit friends and take very short walks with dog in my mothers neighborhood. Also at home im thankfully nearly anxiety free.

But now i feel its time to start tackling shops and i have a big problem: if i have to stand in line or talk to a salesperson whilst standing up my legs get real weak and i get an intense urge to sit down. Its not so much dizzyness as jellylegs. This has already led to one embarrasing instance where somebody grabbed my arm because they feared i was going to pass out. It really bothers me because its so noticeable...

Does anybody have any tips for dealing with this? Its usually my left leg that gives out first so ive even considered a cane :/ Would exercise help? Ive been doing some balance exercises and thai chi but i fear that its really a mental thing as i only get the jellylegs in certain situations.

Any thoughts would be appreciated :)

[Jamesflames]

I have found that with worries about physical capabilities like this it really helps to exercise. I had a patch where I felt that I couldn't breathe when anxious so I did a lot of cycling. Once I was confident that I could cycle 5 to 20 miles without problems it proved to me that the breathing problem was nothing to worry about.
If you can prove to yourself that your legs are strong and reliable you then have ammunition to dismiss concerns about them failing you.

[flossie]

Good reply from James. Just recognise that this is the next stage of your recovery and that you are continuing to practise being in new situations. Do you remember when you started to go out and your confidence grew the more you did it? This is exactly the same. The more you do it the better you will start to manage the anxiety. As you become more comfortable then your legs will feel stronger.

[Neurotic Nick]

Omg just browsing the forum again and i see that there were replies to my post, mustve unchecked the notifications thingy when i posted... Sorry i didnt reply earlier!

Well my gp agrees with you and ive just been referred to a program that focuses on physical health and exercise for people with psychological problems. I scares me as on their website there was talk of things like group jogging in the park - something that seems impossible to me at the moment for several reasons but ill give it good go and it seems like a safe place.

I really went out of my comfort zone a few weeks ago and went to a neighborhood barbeque wich was bad at first but then i found out one of my neighbors was actually an anxiety sufferer too and that really made me feel safe. Just knowing that im in a place where if i panic people will understand really helps!

In other words bring on the program! ;)

And thanks for the encouraging words!