Sunday, August 25, 2013

Agoraphobia Panic Disorder - The Myth of the Safe Zone


Agoraphobia anxiety disorder is a phrase used to to describe those that have extreme or recurring anxiety attacks. Many people will encounter a sense of worry and panic sooner or later within their life, specifically when put into hazardous or intimidating conditions. When these worries often feature no obvious cause, they develop into what is termed a panic attack, though they typically come with instances of strong emotional stress in our day-to-day lives (such as important deadlines at the job or school).

When anyone has repeated anxiety attacks, ordinarily about every week or even more, and with out a apparent cause or tense stimulus, the person might have what is referred to as an anxiety condition. They can begin to get worried that they may have an anxiety attack at the drop of a hat. They worry that the usual warning signs (lightheadedness, rushing heart, trembling, sweating, phobias of going into cardiac arrest or dying) may become too much for them and escalate into a all-out panic or anxiety attack.

For this reason, they may begin to keep clear of locations where they think they can not be able to get away from if an anxiety attack starts. They could keep away from crowds of people, driving a car in intense traffic, public transit, compact or claustrophobic spaces, and in serious incidents even steeping out of the house. This is what we refer to as an agoraphobia panic disorder.

Once, many years ago, I was in a car wreck and destroyed my car while going along a rather busy road in Glendale, Arizona. I remember the screeching wheels and the noise of crunching metal upon collision. Luckily, I was physically fine. However in the weeks that followed, I started to find myself feeling uneasy when it was time to go to the office, or right at the end of the day when I would drive back to my house. At some point, I was at lunch one weekend with a group of close friends and out of nowhere my palms began getting sweaty, and I found myself breathing rather quickly. Soon my arms began to seem numb like they were just hanging dead at my side and I felt lightheaded. My best friend, seeing something was wrong, got me to any medical center. The lab tests showed I was altogether fine.

I had something similar a couple weeks later and began to wonder if the medical doctors at the medical center for some reason skipped anything when they were examining me. I began to feel anxious about to the spots where my attacks had taken place. I had a handful more anxiety attacks and started to worry when the next one would happen. Suppose it had been on the freeway? Imagine if my car went out of control and crashed into someone? I soon could hardly push myself step out of my house even for essential things such as grocery shopping. I had a bad case of agoraphobia panic disorder.

I assumed I must be going insane! I was trapped in my life and I was drifting away from friends because I was so scared of heading out and presumably experiencing agoraphobia panic attacks. I was nervous when I left home, I would have an anxiety attack. If I got an anxiety attack, I could be left vulnerable and totally at the mercy of the predicament I would be in and also the strangers that could be nearby.

I assumed that I would be at less risk in the house where I did not have to bother about experiencing agoraphobia panic attacks for the duration of threatening predicaments like getting behind the wheel or suffer from the mortification of going crazy" near others.

What I've consequently come to realize, is that my life was closing in on me and getting to be smaller and smaller because of the thinking that there is a "protected area." Frankly, I assumed that I was secure in the house and somehow stepping outside, I would for some reason be less secure. I now know there really is no safe zone. Sitting down in my house is just as safe as travelling on a crowded street. I have suffered from anxiety episodes in a lot of situations and in many different locations, and I am still living at well. Granted time every one of my agoraphobia panic attacks would have gone away on its own with or without professional care. I could even have experienced one out in the wilderness and even though definitely might be frightening, it would ultimately go away and I would be fully alright-with no medicine, no doctors, and no safety anywhere to be seen.

What about you? Even following your most severe agoraphobia panic attacks, where you were entirely certain you were about to die, aren't you still here alive?

Sure, you should seek medical consideration if you're developing a significant physical difficulty like an asthma attack, diabetic issues, or other severe physical disorder, but no doctor on earth will tell you that you'd be more safer at home than at the grocery store or the shopping mall. There is absolutely no safe zone.

Believe me I've already been through it and I've had to cope with all the fear and anxiety. Once you can understand this idea, and believe it on a instinctual level, it will transform the way you understand the world and it will grant you back your freedom. This tiny principle was truly life-transforming when I felt it deep down inside. It started the process that helped me get my agoraphobia panic attacks at bay by transforming how I looked at the world.

I believe you can recover. How? Mainly because I got over it, myself. Nowadays, I am a solid advocate in the concept that what one person is able to do, someone else can do. The trail will not always be exactly the same, nevertheless, you can take control of your life as well.

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