agoraphobia & anxiety

[dennis51]

hi.i have recently been diiagnosed with agoraphobia & anxiety i have to rely on my daughter to do my shopping because i now feel i cant leave the house, i live on my own, i feel no one realy understands and think i'm lazy.
did not think this would happen to someone my age (56) im waiting for counselling will this heip.

[doodah]

Hello there and welcome to this wonderful site! Sorry to hear you have agoraphobia and anxiety - I have the same (I'm 53 - grrr:D ). I honestly think that you'll get a lot of understanding and benefit from counselling. They'll probably teach you ways to look at what makes you scared/panicky etc and then work on ways for you to overcome this.

I live on my own now too and, like you, have to rely on family and friends to get me from A to B. It's really rotten knowing you're dependant upon people but I guess everyone is to some extent?

You'll find loads of good advice here at NMP so keep posting.

Wendy xxxx

[dennis51]

thanks for your advice.

[sheba2]

Hi Dennis

I'm 52 and also have agoraphobia and panic/anxiety attacks. I have been having counselling for the past 9 months but have also had several bouts in the past. I have always found counselling useful but this time has been better than ever before. Mainly I think because I have been more honest and open than before.

Counselling isn't an instant cure and its success depends on how you work with the counsellor. I feel that the more I understand about the reasons why I react the way I do then I feel able to do something about changing my behaviour. I have also found it helpful to be given small tasks/exercises to do by the counsellor. When you first go ask as many questions as you can. I hope you find it helps you I would be still glued to my chair if I hadn't had mine. Best of luck

[freakedout]

Hi there,

I dont know how long you have been having your symptoms but it is surely a postive step that you came here for support from people who can relate to your experiences and also that you are waiting for counselling.

I had my symptoms for a long time before it was realised what was actually wrong, and have had varying degrees of agoraphobia/avoidance due to fear of panic attacks. I hope that your problems are relatively recent and that you can get some help to deal with them sooner rather than later.

Take care
Freaky