Dealing with Agoraphobia and Anxiety

The information provided on this site is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical or psychological advice. Consult a medical professional or healthcare provider for advice, diagnoses, or treatment. Claire Evers is not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

Agoraphobia Definition

According to Mayo Clinic, Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder that causes such overwhelming feelings of panic and fear that you avoid places or situations that could bring up these feelings, or possibly result in feeling trapped, helpless or embarrassed. While some people may feel that due to the severity of the symptoms that Agoraphobia is a disease, Agoraphobia is labeled and treated as an anxiety disorder.

Root cause of Agoraphobia

A lot of people who have agoraphobia develop it after experiencing a panic attack or a series of panic attacks, and then they begin to avoid the places where it could happen again. This avoidance is evidence of their underlying Anxiety. It is estimated that almost 1.3% of Americans will suffer from Agoraphobia at some point in their lives.

Agoraphobia Examples

Fear of using public transportation
Fear of being in open spaces
Fear of being in enclosed spaces
Fear of standing in line
Fear of being in a crowd
Fear of not having a means of escape
Fear of getting lost
Fear of falling
Fear of uncontrollable bodily functions happening in public places or not being able to get to a bathroom
Fear of embarrassment
Fear of harm outside home

An agoraphobic person has such extreme anxiety and fear of these things that, what seems like a simple task like going to the grocery store, can become an overwhelming experience that causes extreme panic and anxiety.

Dealing with Agoraphobia and Anxiety

Acknowledge your Agoraphobia

This can be a tough step to take. Admitting how severe your symptoms are, and how they run your life can be a humbling experience. No one wants to feel like there’s something wrong with themselves or how they are dealing with an issue that causes them severe anxiety. But in the end, we have to be willing to acknowledge that being Agoraphobic is more a symptom, rather than a cause.

There are reasons you feel the way you do. Whether your reasons are rooted in negative experiences that caused your anxiety, or Anxiety has taken such a hold of you that leaving home and venturing out into the world has such negative connotations to it that you give up before you consider facing your anxieties. Whatever your cause, if you’re reading this, it might be time to reevaluate how you are functioning as a person because of your Agoraphobia.

Seek Help

If you can afford to get professional help from a licensed therapist, then please do so. Agoraphobia can leave you in a state of practical disability if left untreated.

If you don’t qualify for governmental assistance, which I would recommend exploring as much as possible if you suffer from Agoraphobia, then consider reaching out to loved ones or finding online support groups for Agoraphobia.

Be open about your struggles so others can understand you better, and know how to help.

Take the Agoraphobia Treatment Plan Assessment

This tool has been developed to help people understand what their needs are and what methods of treatment are necessary. This Assessment takes into account several areas before a plan is determined.

First, you will be assessed as an individual, as will your medical history and triggers.

Next a mental health professional will be able to determine which methods, or combination of methods will best suit you. The options are cognitive therapy, medication or exposure therapy. Your needs and goals will be considered during this stage.

A set of goals will be put in place to help measure your progress.

After that, your progress will be monitored, with your treatment plan adjusted as needed.

Agoraphobia Self-Help

Make a detailed list of your specific struggles

This is so you can know exactly what triggers you and how to combat your particular triggers and experiences. There may be ways for you to work around your particular brand of Agoraphobia.

For me, I struggle with crowds and Social Anxiety, as well as a fear of being physically harmed. Reminding myself that I am safe, and going to the store at a time when it isn’t likely to be as crowded (or simply going to smaller store) can be a way for me to still complete daily living tasks without overtaxing myself. For my Social Anxiety, sometimes I bring someone else along so that I feel comforted as I try to complete my errands.

Journaling about what types of experiences are positive or negative and the circumstances surrounding each experience can be helpful to better understand what your needs are for successful outings.

Be strategic

Pick a time of day that works best for you.
Choose a day that allows you time to recover.
Try smaller outings in less crowded spaces.
Bring a friend or loved one.
Keep close tabs on your overall mental health as you consider outings
Take care of yourself so your symptoms stay manageable.

Be patient with yourself

It can be hard to do these things when your symptoms are severe, in which case, I would refer you to the last two items on the above list. Take good care of yourself, and approaching challenging tasks while suffering from Agoraphobia can become more doable over time. You are not broken, you are healing. Give yourself time to do so.

Be willing to adjust your strategy

If you were working with a therapist they would check in with you and assess your progress. If you are not able to work with a mental health professional, then you will need to assess yourself, or ask for input from those around you, to gauge if what you’re doing is working. If you aren’t meeting the goals you’d like to meet, it may be time to adjust your strategy, and that’s okay. Just keeping trying until you get back to where you’d like to be.

Remember that you’re not alone

If celebrities like Zac Efron, Kim Bassinger, Barbara Streisand and Donny Osmond can be candid about their struggles, even though it would seem that they have everything positive going for them, remember that you’re not alone. Whether you find solace in relating to the struggles that even celebrities deal with, or if you prefer to find a chat group to share your struggles with, keep in mind that others struggle with this, too. Maybe hearing from others, or sharing your story will help you find healing.

Intermittent Agoraphobia

Just like any other mental health struggle, not every day is a bad day. You may even be lucky enough to experience lengthy amounts of time with little to no symptoms.

Mild Agoraphobia

If you are lucky enough to be on the milder end of the spectrum- celebrate! You may not feel good about going out, and your stress levels may spike when you leave home, but you are in a functional phase of Agoraphobia where leaving home is still possible by yourself.

To increase your resilience to your agoraphobic feelings or to prolong this stage, find simple things to do while out in public.

Go for a walk on a new trail, even if it’s for a minute
Drive down a new road
Do some window shopping as you walk down a street
Find a larger or smaller store to use when your symptoms escalate

Experiencing new things, even if it’s as simple as walking into a new store or driving down a new road can increase your neural plasticity and give you the ability to not only learn new things or be more creative, it can actually help to lower your stress levels.

Lowered stress levels means keeping your Agoraphobia and Anxiety at bay.

Moderate Agoraphobia

But for the tougher times, when things start to slide back into the painfully familiar place where getting out is simply too much, don’t forget that you’re human. We all have struggle times, and it’s okay to be open and honest when you are struggling. Ask someone to go with you to complete tasks that need doing, or schedule things around the time of day that works for you and gives you time to recover afterwards.

Severe Agoraphobia

When you’re here going out has become practically challenging if not nearly impossible.

Be gentle with yourself.

There will be good days and bad days. However long those last, just remember that you won’t get back to where you’d like to be if you can’t be gentle with yourself and give yourself the space to take care of your mental health, address what is causing your Agoraphobia and Anxiety to spike, and make whatever changes are necessary to get you back into a functional space.

How to help someone with Agoraphobia

Recognize their struggles

First, recognize that Agoraphobia is a mental illness. The symptoms someone is experiencing are out of their control and need to be respected and understood. Coping with Agoraphobia, whether you are struggling with it, or have a friend or loved one who suffers from it, can be a challenge, so understanding that the source of Agoraphobia is Anxiety and is truly a mental illness can help to establish the ground work for all future attempts to help or engage with the Agoraphobic person.

Offer Help

Offer to go with them. As someone who struggles with this condition, I will say that it can feel embarrassing to admit to the severity of my symptoms and having someone who recognizes my struggles to offer help is such a relief. It can be difficult to understand our own needs and if you are capable of offering help, and feel inclined to do so, I’m sure offering to help will be appreciated.

It’s that simple. A lot of the fears people with Agoraphobia struggle with can be at least partially reduced by having a family member or friend go with them for public outings.

During particularly bad bouts of Anxiety and Agoraphobia, I’ve struggled to complete basic tasks like going to the grocery store or even picking up takeout food. It got to the point where I would scrounge around in the back of the fridge, freezer or pantry for anything to eat that didn’t require me to leave my home. Prospective trips to the grocery store would reduce me to tears, or if I did manage to go, I’d need hours in bed afterwards to recuperate from the overwhelming stress.

My husband and family began to recognize how much I was struggling and offered to either do the tasks for me if my Anxiety or Agoraphobia was too much for me to handle. Other times they offered to go with me.

Recognize their efforts and encourage their independence

That being said, Agoraphobia isn’t a condition that will decrease by being completely isolated all the time. If you are helping someone with outings, either by running errands for them, or going with them, encouraging them to occasionally step out of their comfort zone is also helpful. They may not be ready in the moment that you suggest, but noting their progress, and encouraging them with praise for their efforts could be one of the most meaningful moments for them to start to recover, or at the very least, experience some remission in their symptoms.

Conclusion

Agoraphobia is rooted in Anxiety. If you can face your anxieties and seek the help you need while being patient with the process and taking care of yourself, remission and recovery are both possible.

Just to recap:

Assess how Agoraphobia is affecting you and your loved ones
Seek Help
Identify Triggers or underlying medical problems
Be Strategic about your treatment plan- create goals!
Practice Self Care as you test out your strategies
Reassess and Adjust as necessary

Be patient, and keep trying. Each day is a brand new opportunity for healing.

May God Bless and Keep You.

Claire Evers

Dealing with Agoraphobia and Anxiety

Agoraphobia Definition

Root cause of Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia Examples