Hello!I just wanted to share some positive things that I've been able to do lately.Last night I went grocery shopping.Today I went to my sons school for a classroom presentation.I sat through while 23 children each read a paragraph about bats.I had very little anxiety.Normally I'd be very anxious.I then went out to eat tonight at a restaurant.I haven't been able to do that for over two years.I had been housebound for two years.I've went from hardly being able to go to the mailbox to what I've mentioned.I started facing my agoraphobia back around Feb.It's been a slow process but when you finally decide that you're not going to live your life stuck in your house and push forward right through the fear amazing things happen!Most important NEVER GIVE UP!!I hope this brings you guys hope.God bless!

Oh Honey - that is SO wonderful. Good for you! You ARE taking your life back and I know how great you feel. Be proud - be happy. Feel everything. Keep heading forward and there's nothing in this world you can't do.

I'm so happy for you.

Karma

Thank you so much for the support! Yes it does feel good.Finally some freedom.Thank you Jesus!

You are so very welcome. My email address is Karma77j@aol.com. Don't hesitate to contact me if there's anything I could ever help with.

I'm recovering also. And each day just gets better and better. It's a wonderful life!!!

Karma

That's great!

Fear Not,
Congratulations on your wonderful progress! You are an inspiration. Keep up the good work!

Congratulations! Hope I can do the same soon! Keep up the good work!

Fear not
Hey, I seem to remember that picture from awhile back. If i'm right, you had a diffrent name i think though.

These are amazing accomplishments and you did them dispite your limitations and I can relate with the agoraphobia 100%. It is very difficult to face. Good for you . It gets rather boring being stuck in your house for long periods of time eh?

You have put alot of great energy into this post, i bet you feel real good about yourself. So why don't you share with us what you did and we can bring it up even more. What goals did you have along the way? What accomplishments did you make? What gave you the energy to overcome the dreaded agoraphobic demon :P

Mike

I am glad to hear someone has had some positive things happening for them as far as the Agoraphobia. I am curious, you mentioned that you were homebound until recently, could you share how you felt as far as the anxiety/panic symptoms and what you went through daily as far as how you felt? I am severely Agoraphobic and can hardly step out of my front door without freaking out. Not always but more so than not. Its bad enough I have panic attacks when outside of the house or when I try to go anywhere, but not I am having them here inside my house to. They aren't near as bad as they were when I was drinking nothing but iced tea and pepsi but they are still here. I had one tonight at supper time and got that real paranoid shortness of breath feeling and to be quite frank I came close to totally losing it. I am sick of being this way and would love to have my life back but I am rapidly losing hope that that will ever happen now. I have been like this for so long I can't ever see myself being able to do anything or live a much more normal life. I am just a throw back who isn't worth much to anyone. Yeah you guessed it I am extremely down tonight and just tired of being like this. Please share your experiences of how you felt when you were totally homebound. Thank you and congrats to you. It has to be one of the most awesome feelings to get your life back to some kind of norm and to be able to do the things that others take for granted every single day.

God bless and hugs to you,
Susan

God bless,
Susan

Hello!Well some answers to some of your questions.I'm going to tell you where I was at with my anxiety disorder and agoraphobia.As far as the anxiety I was at a point two years ago where it completely took me over.I was waking up with pure panic everyday.I would sit in my bathroom for two hours having a severe panic attack.I was constantly starving or so I thought I would actually keep a toaster in my bathroom with bread because I didn't think that I could make it downstairs to make toast in which I had to gag down because I was also in a constant state of nausea.I remember thinking that something had to be severely wrong with me even though the Dr.'s said everything checked out ok.This went on a whole summer everyday.I also ended up eating constantly because of the hunger I was having that led to me gaining 20 lbs.I could not leave my house.I became a prisoner to this condition.I started my recovery with first trusting in God.I had hit rock bottom and was in total despair.Very lonely,no self control,and very broken hearted.I was literally just existing.Well like I said I knew that this was to much for me alone so I started trusting God.I started taking control over the eating problem.I slowly lost the 20 lbs.Yeah!I had accomplished something,I got my healthy weight back which at the time I didn't think that I ever would.This built confidence in me.This was the start of me saying "I am going to start moving forward."I'll never forget the day when I took my first walk down my street.My daughter had said "All you do is just sit in this house."I think she even said"What's the point of living?"This hit a sore spot with me and so I jumped up and walked out that front door and down the street.It was kinda funny because my other daughter ran outside and started waking with me saying "mom what are you doing?"I remember turning around and telling her to get away that she was not going to hinder me!My husband and daughters do not support me.At the time and even now they make fun of me or just get real mad.I'm learning how to rise above the verbal abuse.From that day on I started to take my life back little by little.With my agoraphobia I get off balanced,my body starts racing and yes my biggest fear is passing out.No that hasn't happend.I still get panic attacks and have anxiety but I'm learning how to deal with it in a whole new way.I'm learning to just let go.I'm learning that I do have self control.I also know that I want to live again.I don't want the rest of my life to be full of fear.I'm the only one who can change this and I know that God is right beside me.I've had this condition for 14 years.I've learned alot from it.It has definitely made me humble.I will never take the simple things for granted.I'm just hoping that for those of you who are in this deep that you'll keep pushing forward and even though there will be times when it seems like you're never going to get through it and be "normal" again don't you give up!This is a curable condition.Let's make it happen.May we overcome this and be strong,humble,caring,loving people.That's the gift of having to go through a storm like this.

Wow...I've also had my agoraphobia, anxiety and depression for 14 years and I can definately relate to the despair.

Sounds like you had made a strong committment to start moving forward and putting this into your heart with no other option. Even despite the negative feed back from your family which i'm sorry about.

You mention about your first step being trusting God and this helping you alot. Well with myself, I started this program 4 years ago and I got alot out of it but there was still alot more unresolved and this huge block and fear. My feeling was that I had to do everything myself and that i'm the only one. That was soooooooo depressing and then I did a full body cleanse and during this cleanse I started to develop more spiritually and I was starting to accept the idea of a higher power. In my class we were being taught to trust this higher power but I could accept it before the cleanse. After I accepted it, I let it in more and more and things became easier to do, my anxiety became less and I felt more secure and less afraid. I can't say i'm 100% better yet but i'm moving along quite well like yourself. Also it is like the steps i have to take are coming before me as I go along now too...Don't you notice this as well?

Like fearnot says, push forward. Trust in whatever faith you have and trust that it'll give you the things you need to in order to overcome your burdens.

Mike

I'm definitly inspired, thank you so very much for sharing. I'm in session 3, working really hard and I found myself having negative thoughts and I got discouraged. Reading this has helped me feel better and hopeful. pinkeetoz

Anyone had any sucess yet overcoming their fear of flying, or just going on a flight. Trying to give some advice to my clients. Have a sight called : http://www.flyinganxiety.com

fearnot I can totally relate, as I am agoraphobic and suffer with panic attacks. I have only been house bound for two weeeks one time, because. I have to run the house and that included groceries, etc. so i had to go out even though the feelings were so uncomfortable . I would love to chat with you but I can't figure out how to do a Pm. If you know how and would like to chat please let me know, as I also get the off balance stuff and it is so uncomfortable, thanks

hello i just have one question, i am agoraphobic to and haven't been anywhere in over a year now. When you started leaving the did you have panic attacks in the car like you couldnt get to far away from your house????