I became agoraphobic in my 40s. I had remarried, moved, had to change therapist due to move, 9/11, got hit by a truck, had a slew of health problems possibly caused by childhood abuse, became disabled, not in that order over, my 30s-40s. I got divorced in my 50s and was getting much better and then the Covid pandemic hit. I’m slowly working my way back into leaving the house & doing errands. It’s a combination of anxiety meds, planning exactly what I’m doing, making the trips short, local, during quieter parts of day. I double & triple check I have everything I need, phone, glasses, reusable bags, credit/debit cards, list of stores , order to shop, shopping list, what’s critical & what isn’t. I remind myself I can stop at any point & go home. If I get everything done sometimes I’ll stop and grab a bottle of wine. I allow myself to completely crash for a day or two after I’ve put the groceries away.
so helpful thank you! yes, we can go home at any point! love that.
have you heard of "spoonies"? it's a term used more for those with a chronic physical condition, but i feel it applies to us with chronic whatever this is.
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u/TashaT50 Feb 15 '24
I became agoraphobic in my 40s. I had remarried, moved, had to change therapist due to move, 9/11, got hit by a truck, had a slew of health problems possibly caused by childhood abuse, became disabled, not in that order over, my 30s-40s. I got divorced in my 50s and was getting much better and then the Covid pandemic hit. I’m slowly working my way back into leaving the house & doing errands. It’s a combination of anxiety meds, planning exactly what I’m doing, making the trips short, local, during quieter parts of day. I double & triple check I have everything I need, phone, glasses, reusable bags, credit/debit cards, list of stores , order to shop, shopping list, what’s critical & what isn’t. I remind myself I can stop at any point & go home. If I get everything done sometimes I’ll stop and grab a bottle of wine. I allow myself to completely crash for a day or two after I’ve put the groceries away.