People with social phobia don´t have to be shy at all. In fact they can be completely at ease, even gregarious in many situations until they run into the situation they are phobic about.
The feelings associated with both panic attacks and agoraphobia can be overwhelming. Understanding the origin of your feelings and why they seem to be so disproportionate to those around you is a crucial part of managing and controlling your disorder.
Agoraphobia is caused by one or a combination of genetics and biology, life experiences and your temperament. That´s not to say you have defective genetics or a bad personality but simply things present in your biology and temperament make you more likely to experience it.
For people who have had traumatic life experiences, agoraphobia can sometimes result. But again, lots of people experience trauma of one sort or another and not everyone develops it, so there is something else that contributes to the phobia that is now hampering your life.
Agoraphobia often strikes during late adolescence or early adulthood. Thus, teens and people in their twenties are the most common initial sufferers. However, it also affects younger children and older adults and the condition can last for years or decades if untreated.
People who have this disorder are more likely to have problems with panic, have stressful life situations, are often anxious or nervous, or have substance abuse problems.
For people who have experienced multiple panic attacks and have panic disorder or who have experienced a single, isolated attack, that experience can be so overwhelming emotionally that your mind goes into survival mode.
The thought of having another attack is simply too much to bear. The situations which you think might cause panic are avoided at all costs.
Situations big and small are avoided with excuses, avoidance or simply fleeing, all to avoid the possibility of another attack. However, all this obsessing about panic attacks and avoiding them has your mind in such a frenzy that it might actually be triggering it or making them more likely.
If all you do is think about how badly you have to go to the bathroom, all you think about is the pressure on your bladder. If you think about something else, you´ll probably be able to make it to the next restroom. It´s the same with panic; fixation on the prevention of attacks actually makes them more likely to occur because your compulsion to avoid them causes increased stress and anxiety. Simply devising methods of avoidance and crafting excuses is exhausting and stressful.
The first step in controlling your panic and resulting agoraphobia is to recognize what has caused you it in the first place and what situations triggered the attacks that have you living in such fear. Write down the answers to the following questions and start to look for patterns.
1. When was the first time you had an attack? The second? The third?...
2. How old were you?
3. Where were you?
4. How did you feel before the attack?
5. What were you thinking about before…?
6. How did you feel during…?
7. How did you feel after…?
8. How soon did the symptoms go away?
9. Were there any lasting physical effects?
The reason these questions are important is to understand what the causes and then to also realize that the effects were temporary, the symptoms went away quickly and that there were no long lasting physical effects.
Life goes on and so will yours. You know a rapid heartbeat or shortness of breath is not going to kill you. You know you can survive and recover from the detrimental effects of a panic attack. Why avoid it, take on the challenge!
Panic attacks are like that bully at school, they seem big and bad but once you stand up to them, they back down. They only visit if they know you are scared of them. The bully only steals lunch money from the kids that are afraid of him, otherwise it´s too much trouble and he doesn´t want to bother or encounter any resistance.
By providing a little resistance you can beat that panic attack bully back and not worry about going to the lunch room anymore. Once you are no longer afraid of that lunchroom, your agoraphobia will diminish as well.
Anxiety and Stress – A Risk of Heart Attack?
Anxiety and stress are known to make a patient get a feeling like heart attack due to rapid pulse and shortness of breath. According to a study it is suggested that shortness of breath or rapid pulse experienced due to stress may evoke a feeling similar to heart attack and even result in serious heart troubles in the long run.
Agoraphobia – Is a Treatment Possible in Worst Cases?
For most sufferers, Agoraphobia is like a living hell. They give up all hope due to the intensity of the symptoms they experience. When treated from an early stage, Agoraphobia can be cured easily. However, since a lot of people are unable to recognize the symptoms, they reach a stage where the condition becomes worse and they tend to fear whether or not cure is possible.
Social Phobia - How to Effectively Use Exposure Therapy to Combat Your Phobias!
Dealing with phobias can be troubling! These little fears can cause big reactions, leading to extreme anxiety, panic attacks and total avoidance of particular people, places, things and activities. Common phobias include fear of flying, fear of driving, fear of animals such as dogs and fear of public speaking. For many people, their fears and their anxieties don´t play a daily part in their lives but for phobia sufferers, their thoughts are always directed towards avoiding that which they fear. Exposure therapy is a great way to lessen the dread that so many phobia sufferers have to contend with but it needs to be approached effectively.
