any advice.. please read

[honeybee]

i wanna get over my agoraphobia so i'm gonna see how far from my houise i can walk on my own every day.. going on my first walk in min.. terrified of going out front door.. any advice?? can someone just tell me to sort it out and tell me to be brave.. just need a push.. :(

[Karen]

Hi Honeybee

Welcome to the forum.

Small, manageable steps are the way to go. Slowly does it. Aim to make your goal small and achievable, so if stepping outside the front door and standing there for 5 minutes is what is manageable for you today then do that. If it is walking for a few minutes then give that a try.

Have a look at the First Steps information on this website for more advice on how to get started.

Good luck.

Karen

[clickaway]

Yeah, Nigel is right.

I'd add that you may want to stick at a certain level of exposure for a few days at a time, especially when you get to a little milestone such as your local corner shop or shopping centre.

One trick I employ is to be spontaneous or to go out after having a comforting visit or phone call whenever possible.

Take Care,

[honeybee]

thanks for your replies guys. its nice to know you have support, especially since i just feel like a burden on the people close to me in my life. its nice to be able to talk to people who understand. for the record i didn't even make it up the garden path.. i was too paranoid to close the door behind me incase i got locked out (even though i did put the door on the latch and i had my keys in my pocket).instead i stood there and cryed for 5 mins before i gave up.:emot-crying: pathetic huh? anyway i'm gonna try again when my boyfriend gets in then i've just got the big bad world to scare me without the added paranoir of getting locked out of the house. :eek: wish me luck

[Karen]

No, definitetely NOT pathetic Honeybee. It was a courageous first attempt.

Try again with your boyfriend if that is a bit easier to cope with at first and go a short distance at first, daily if possible and build on that.

Good luck for tonight.

Karen

[Karen]

Also have a read of the First Steps (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/NMPcms.php?nmppage=firststeps) information which will give you a helping start.

Karen

[nomorepanic]

Hi Honeybee and welcome aboard.

If you couldn't manage it once you closed the door then just stand on the step for 5 minutes and take in the view and the air. Don't push too hard too soon - just baby steps remember.

[Piglet]

Something I find helpful is to try at night when it's dark - for some reason I find it so much easier in the dark.

I also went on the NOpanic (the charity) course - it's free and runs for about 3 months with about 10 other people in pretty much the same boat. The support and encouragement is really helpful and the setting of your own little goals is very motivating.

I started by just standing in the front garden for a few minutes at a time - then staying for longer by cleaning the front door, or the windows etc.

Baby steps is absolutely the right way to go :)

Love Piglet :)

[honeybee]

yay.. i got past the gate.. 176 steps past the gate to be exact.. very very hard but yay i did it:w00t2:

[Karen]

Well done Honeybee. You did great :yesyes: .

Karen

[nomorepanic]

Well done you :notworthy: :okay:

[ceecee]

hi ya
don,t get too upset at least you WANTED to do it,that goes to show that you are making progress!!!!!!
i think piglets advice is great i have a bit more confidence in the evenings when its dark,as there aren,t as many people about!!!!!
take care and just try again when YOU feel ready
rach x

[wobily_lin]

Elo Honeybee,

WELL DONE YOU!!!

Welcome to the site hun.

I do know how hard this is, and to get to ur gate is a HUGE ACHIEVEMENT...

Take it as you have done, one step at a time, not easy but its the only way to do it..

Music helps so if u have an mp3 player or sumat then use it..it helps to distract you're mind..

(((((hugs))))

[trish1955]

could u mp me as i am not sure how to do that now its all changed but would love to chat to u as i am agraphobic to trish

[honeybee]

could u mp me as i am not sure how to do that now its all changed but would love to chat to u as i am agraphobic to trish

hello trish, im new to this site, not exactly sure how to contact you other than replying to you here. i cant tell you how nice it is to have some some people that understand.

i've been thinking today about taking that walk again, the thought of walking a really short distance is scary but for some reason if i'm at home on my own then i'm too scared to close the door behind me and actually go. i suppose i know that if im taking a short walk when someone's in the house and i ''freak out'' then i can always run back to the ''saftey'' of my house and know i can definatly get in, but if i get locked out then thats it.. I'M STUCK OUTSIDE :w00t2: ...

i've suffered from this for three years now and i'm a million times better than i was, i've tryed everything. when i originally went to the doctors they wanted to shove anti-depressant/vallium/etc down my throwt. i didn't want to take this route so instead i tryed an anxiety management course, councilling (i had a hell of a lot going on in my life which i think was the reason it all started, unfortunatly the fear of having another attack got so bad that three years later i'm still a bloo*y fruitcake.. dam it), homeopathy, hypnotherapy, reki, spiritual healing, ummm, loads more stuff that i can't even remember. obviously nothing has cured me but if you could have seen me at the beggining i was a gibbering wreck, for example i couldn't even leave my bedroom when i woke up in the morning because i'd wake up already in a state of panic, i had to be with my mum constantly and i thought i was going mad. everything together has made an improvement though. the one thing that has helped me the most is the notion of trying to challenge my thoughts, what is it that i'm exactly scared of. at first this was so hard, my reaction to this was ''well it just happens, i haven't got time to think of anything, i even wake up like it'' but i soon realised that yes i did wake up like it but because my immediate thought was ''fuc* its happening again'' that it would result in it spiralling out of control. i did as much research as i coiuld into it and and soon as i did, my fear of them became smaller and smaller so in the end i'd end up thinking ''its ok, its just another attack, just breathe and it'll soon pass'' there's a great book called mind over mood by dennis greenberger and christine a. padesky.. i really highly recomend it. its an absolute must. it sets up challenges for you and makes you really challenge your thoughts, it not just a load of writing about the same old thing, its a kind of self teaching cognative behavioural course.

anyway i'm sorry i've gone on, suppose its nice just to let it all out sometimes even if noone reads it. x if you want, i'd like to hear your story, maybe we can support each other getting up the garden path, even if it does take months :)

[sheena]

Hi

I am recovering slowly from agoraphobia. I was worried like you that I would not be able to get back into my house. It was suggested to me that I have a key turning session. This I did by opening the door and turning the key backwards and forwards. I also have a spare key on me at all times. I even transfer it into my dressing gown pocket at night.

Do not distress yourself because you did not make it the first time. Many times at first for me I would get my coat and shoes on and not be able to even open the front door. I was totally agoraphobic for 3 years and with baby steps I can now walk my dog around the block and drive to the docs and dentist. All I can say is to keep trying, don't dispair, I used to think I would never leave my house again and it has taken me a long time to get where I am today. Keep coming to the forum and I am sure we will try to help you as best we can.

Sheena