Countryside phobia?!

[Zingara]

Does anyone else have this strange problem that I have? I get myself in a terrible anxiety state when out in the country. I'm not sure if it's a form of agoraphobia or not. It's funny, because with all my recent problems people keep saying to me 'Why not have a weekend away in the country? Somewhere like the Lake District?' It's really hard to explain that places like that send me into a tailspin of panic. I feel isolated and cut off, and worry that I'll be taken seriously ill and the nearest hospital will be miles away!
I also find the quiet of the countryside makes me feel mournful and depressed. People don't seem to understand, they seem to think the peace and quiet will do me good. 'But it's so scenic!' they say, not understanding that landscapes and quiet country lanes make me feel worse than ever.
Hope I'm not the only one....I'm quite nervous that no one will reply to this post and I'll feel weirder than ever!

[yorkylover]

I dont think its strange at all.I can understand you feeling anxious being away from everything.But being in the countryside doesn't mean your in the middle of fields ect,you can stay near little villages & towns and still be in the countryside.
I live near the sea,and a couple of years ago we stayed at a campsite near Windsor,we were actually camped near a river,but after a couple of days I started to really miss being near the sea and started to feel that I needed to get back home,but I stuck it out.
I love being near the sea,but I also love the countryside,being in Hampshire we get the best of both.The countryside is beautiful with so much wildlife.Maybe you could just take short trips to start with.

[honeybee3939]

Hi Samira

I love the lake district and have been there many times over the years. I can understand your concerns about feeling isolated though i used to be the same. I know its kind of a safety behaviour but when i go anywhere i always take my mobile phone with me, it gives me peace of mind knowing if i feel unwell(which i never have) i will always be able to contact someone.:)

I also tell myself, "if im well while im at home, i will be well while im away!" theres no difference really:) .

hope you manage a trip to the lakes its so beautifull out there.

Love
:hugs:
Andrea
xxxxx

[Zingara]

Thank you both very much for your help. I wanted to make it clear, actually, that I'm not saying I don't like places like the Lake District - it's that they make me anxious. It would be lovely to be able to relax out in the country - or away from home generally!

[clickaway]

My anxiety always increases when I go for a walk in the countryside - usually a path not far from where I live. I think it is the feeling of isolation, and thinking about it I do suffer from separation anxiety so maybe it makes a bit of sense!

To get any walking exercise, I much prefer towns and sometimes take the train up to London to do this and for a change of scenery.

[Dr Kong, AKA Wayne]

Hi Samira,
There are different kinds of Phobia and I am the opposite to you, I hate Towns and Cities, I hate crowds.
Driving in London? I rather beat my head with a baseball bat!

Like someone else said, take a mobile and make sure its charged, not that it would happen but looking at it logicly, an Ambulance would be with you in miniutes, even if you are out in the sticks.

I love the Countryside, I live in a small Village in Northants and love the peace and quiet, but, like I say we all have different phobias,

Good luck,

Wayne

[Zingara]

I know what you mean about driving in London, I've been stuck in some royal traffic jams going there to visit my sister and I must say I find that difficult as well! I guess you're right about the ambulance, to a certain extent the sense of isolation I get is more psychological than real. Good luck with all your stuff Wayne, I wish you well.

[rascal]

hi samira, i have to agree with wayne, im opposite to you i hate towns and citys. i live in the country side and i am about 15miles away from the nearest hospital but like wayne said take your mobile phone and you can always call for a ambulance, ive had to call a ambulance and they have responded very very quickly and got me to hospital in quick sticks so please dont worry about getting to a hospital. it is a case of what your used to i prefer the peace and quiet to the hustle and bustle because i have always lived in the country side.
your not unusual i have friends that come and visit me and they dont know how i live with hardly nothing around me, a pub,village shop and postoffice, thats all ive got anything else is a car drive away.
good luck and i hope you conquor your fear, it will take time. small steps lead to big achevements:flowers:

[diane07]

Hi samira,

i know exactly where you're coming from i used to live near the beach in a town, a few months ago i moved to a little tiny village in wales, surrounded by hills and fields its gorgeous. However since i moved i too feel i can't be here, since being here i have developed health anx, its made my agoraphobia ten times worse and i've been so ill with some sort of viral infection, and i feel cut off from the world, suppose its what your used to. For me i go back to my home town next week as i know the longer i am here the worse i get, the country is beautiful but like you it makes me anxious to feel i'm in the middle of nowhere.

hope this helps

Di xx

[Zingara]

Thanks Di, I feel better knowing I'm not the only one! It's that cut off feeling. Hope you get better soon and things improve when you get back to town, I'm sure they will, know just how you feel. x

[Dr Kong, AKA Wayne]

I know what you mean about driving in London, I've been stuck in some royal traffic jams going there to visit my sister and I must say I find that difficult as well! I guess you're right about the ambulance, to a certain extent the sense of isolation I get is more psychological than real. Good luck with all your stuff Wayne, I wish you well.


Thank you Samira,
I can totaly understand your fears, even when I go into Asda with my Wife shopping, I always look for an "excape route" if I need it! IE, near the exit. There are times when I have needed to "get out" when ever we need to go into a lift, I take the stairs.

Have you been prescribed beta blockers? I swear by them, they do work, ok, they don't make you 100% calm but they do calm you down, I have been using them for a few years and the best thing is they work quickly.

Wayne

[Zingara]

Thanks Wayne, I'm going to the doctors next week so I'll ask him about beta blockers...I was on Prozac for a while because I felt very upset and emotional after an operation, but then I came off it because I started to get really bad agitation. I currently have diazepam to use as and when needed, in emergencies, but I think I will ask about the beta blockers... if you don't mind me asking, do you get any side effects? I know everyone's different, but do they make you feel sluggish or anything like that?

[Dr Kong, AKA Wayne]

Hi Samira,
The ones I take are called Propranolol.

No side affects what so ever, dont feel drousy or sleepy, the best thing is they are not harmful or addictive.

They work in a matter of minutes and they do work.

THey basicly just calm you down, slows your heart down (dont worry, wont stop it beating) you take about 2 a day.

You should ask for them, your GP will prescribe them when you say your symptoms.

They prescibe them also for patients with Heart problems, so if anything your heart will be fine!!!

Seroiusly though, they do stop Physical syptoms like sweating and shaking, but wont help mental issues.

Wayne

[Zingara]

Thanks Wayne, I will definitely ask my doctor about them, I'll let you know how I get on. Thanks for all your help and concern, have a good weekend!

[Dr Kong, AKA Wayne]

You too Samira,
Put your feet up and relax, watch some crap on TV! LOL

Order a pizza!

Take care,

Wayne

[Franz]

I've always liked peace and quiet, but I had a freaky psychotic episode 4 years ago and I remember driving home from work in a state of terror and looking at the scenes I previously found so relaxing of big fields and hedges and pylons and thinking how awful and terrifyingly impersonal it all was. So I can understand how you feel about the countryside - when you're sad or anxious, it can make you feel worse.

[bluedaisy]

Hi Samira,

I know just what you mean about anxiety and the countryside. Last year I went away to the Lake District a couple of times with my partner and a close friend (I'm agoraphobic so going anywhere at all is very hard - car journey started at 6am to avoid all traffic etc -lol). Anyway, much as I hate being in a city and find my anxiety is out of control on the rare occasions I find myself in busy places, every walk we went on in the Lakes had me obsessively checking maps to make sure there was no possibility of being lost, obsessively checking the weather to make sure mist wasn't going to come down while we were on a hill, and basically counting every minute until we could be safely back at the car/holiday cottage. I kept worrying that I'd have a massive panic attack, be unable to walk, get stuck on hill and/or fall into a ravine in the mist and have to be rescued by air ambulance!

In all honesty, I only enjoyed being in the Lakes while we were taking short countryside walks close to the cottage, sitting in the garden, or walking around the nearby village. It made me quite depressed after the last holiday because until agoraphobia took over my life two years ago I'd always loved the countryside and felt so much more peaceful and relaxed while I was there. But I think it's still possible to enjoy a bit of countryside if you recognise what triggers your anxiety (in my case hills and being out of sight of all civilisation) and try less anxiety-provoking activities.