The fear of leaving home

I have the same problem. Im afraid to go anywhere that involves me socializing with others. I have recently been dismissed from college because I was afraid to go to classes. Its feels good to know Im not alone in this.

@lightCoconut9296 hey, suffered from this for over 5 years ( wife taken from me through no fault own triggered start of this )..just recently i worked up the strength to get in a car and get a job..wasn't easy but wanted to at least start to get some part of my life back.

@tealFriend9070

How did you muster up the courage to go and get a job? Ive been trying recently but have been bailing out on the interviews. Was there any steps you took to help you?

@lightCoconut9296

Yes I have that fear, It's got better at some times but other times it's worst, It's a manifestation of social anxiety, the only way to tackle it would be to go to nearby places first and then slowly increase the distance.

I have a park just a few steps from my house,I go there everryday, previously I couldn't even go there,but right now I'm comfortable going to the park,next I'm going to buy all the grocery instead of my dad doing everyhting, In this way I'm confident I can tackle this fear, and by the way I'm a university student, and for me going to the grocery store is scarier than going to university even if I have to use public transport,my university is miles away from my house

I have fear ...i remember i went on college trip once and the bus just took a turn from near my residence i started missing my mom I started crying... I agree i m quite sensitive & emotional...but i know how deeply attached i m with my home sweet home.... I just have fear of leaving home and entering the world of miseries and untrustworthy people .....

@lightCoconut9296 it is hard for me sometimes because my home is my safe haven

I fear that I have to go abroad for further studies.... It will be difficult for me

I start small with it, going short distances!

I once saw an interview with Stanley Kubrick who said that the most difficult thing about filmmaking was getting out of the car. I think about this quote everyday because it is exactly how I feel about work. Getting out of the car or even out of bed in the morning is the most difficult challenge I face daily.

I know exactly how you feel. It's not a fear of "leaving my home", specifically, so much as it is a fear of certain public spaces. In my case, I'm pretty sure it's agoraphobia because certain public spaces (malls, movie theaters, even some grocery stores) give me panic attacks based on particular aspects of those places (high ceilings, lots of people, a task you're meant to force yourself on [i.e. focusing on a movie or on the stuff you need to buy]) but it's honestly debilitating. It's like I want to go to these places and be social and have a good time but every time I try, I spiral into this massive pit of anxiety that I feel I have no control over. It's just the environment itself that causes the panic, and it comes completely on it's own like even if I know for a fact nothing bad is going to happen and/or I think calm thoughts, I'm still a shaking, clingy, hyperventilating mess. And then that panic leads me to wonder whether I really am overreacting or whether there's actually a good reason for me to be reacting the way that I am, like I try to tell myself I'm overreacting but then when I do, my brain conjures up all these counterarguments about why I might not be (some guy could whip out a gun, the ceiling could fall down, or if I'm in a place like the mall where there's two stories and the second looks down on the first below, I'll fear that someone might fall from the second floor, I might fall from the second floor, the ground might be unstable, or I just get vertigo from being up high-- funny enough, this only happens indoors, though. Outdoor heights don't bother me much at all. It's really strange). I've been like this for as long as I can remember, but only recently it's gotten worse. I wish I knew a way to fix it but I haven't found a good coping mechanism yet.

I have this fear as well... agoraphobia i think it is called. I have been trying for over a week to gather the courage to go outside and plan my garden. The garden, for me is a purpose, a distraction, one that brings healthier activity and foods to my life. It is also a way to share with neigbors, community organizations, because i always grow more than i can consume or store. I can't eat and store 50 heads of cabbage (the number of seeds in a pack many times)... or the amount of brussels sprouts off 50 plants... It is also something that I don't have to do ALL the work in order to make it happen. Yes, gardening involves work, but the sun helps the plants grow and the rain, and the nutrients in the soil... much of it is done when i am not around.

But I haven't been able to be outside alone for more than a few minutes in weeks. Panic attacks have been coming in waves, being triggered by even minor things, -even getting a piece of good news... Now I open the door to step outside and i hesitate, and then feel exposed and raw and have to close the door, lock it and lock myself further inside the house. I even find myself frozen, afraid to move from my chair, even to the point of almost not making it to the toilet in time. It makes me feel so weak and helpless,

Thank the gods that it doesn't last forever. But I find myself needing others with me more, in order to leave the house.

I didn't really notice how deeply this has affected my life until recently. It has actually been creeping up for years, getting worse and worse a little at a time, until the traumas began to multiply.

@lightCoconut9296

This was posted a while ago, but I just wanted to share. You're definitely not alone on this, I have dealt with the same thing. I'm not sure what it is, but leaving the comfort of my home sometimes terrifies me. Something that has helped has been taking baby steps - one little thing at a time. Maybe I will go out for a short walk somewhere one day, and eventually get to a place where I can spend the night somewhere else. It's definitely hard, but you for sure have support here Again, you are not alone!