submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

5 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I can leave the house to go to work and shop by myself, necessary things like doctors appointments.

I cannot go to an event with friends, hang out with friends, do things that are not mandatory or at least extremely “safe” (libraries and thrift stores.) I am experiencing regression with eye contact.

There’s no “thought” I can try to replace or change. I just can’t. I tried to make plans to go thrifting with friends weeks ago - I couldn’t leave.

Part of this I think is a rational fear related to being terrified that I’ll be pulled over and forced to change my license to say “female” - which would make me even more unsafe.

I feel locked in. The internet is the only place I really get to feel like something of a human being.

top 5 comments

sorted by: hot top new old

[-] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago

Do you feel a disconnect between how you look and how you want to look? I don't have agoraphobia but I do have some social anxiety that has caused me to skip out on a lot of events and I would recommend getting it under control or at least understanding how to manage it sooner rather than later before it spirals. There's also a mantra I like to keep in mind when I feel overly self concious "those that mind don't matter, those that matter don't mind"

[-] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

I’m fine with my visual appearance. It’s more that I have odd body posture/movements. My therapist has confirmed some of this.

I’m just a strange person in a place where strange isn’t welcome I guess. I’ve had things spiral before - there were periods where I wasn’t able to leave the house at all.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Understandable and I'm glad you already talk to a therapist about this. Can't really control how others behave so sometimes avoidance is the best option. Hope you figure your way through this and get to enjoy going out with your friends soon!

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

I've struggled with this same thing for a long time and was diagnosed agoraphobic over 20 years ago. The best thing I've found that helps is Virtual Reality. It helps me practice being brave in social situations in a safe space, which then allow the skills to translate to real life. Maybe try it? Even if you can't afford a headset, you can still try it out by playing VR Chat on your computer or Horizon Worlds on your phone.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

Hey. I know how hard it is. I’ve also been diagnosed with agoraphobia linked to irritable bowel syndrome, which I’m also diagnosed with. I barely leave the house. What helps me is keeping my mind busy — for example, by reading. Though I don’t think that’s particularly good advice… it’s more like I’m avoiding the problem. But what I’ve done is adapt my daily activities to what I can realistically handle.

We have to keep going, even if we can’t see the light at the end of the road. Stay strong.

this post was submitted on 19 May 2025

36 points (100.0% liked)

Mental Health

5096 readers

184 users here now

Welcome

This is a safe place to discuss, vent, support, and share information about mental health, illness, and wellness.

Thank you for being here. We appreciate who you are today. Please show respect and empathy when making or replying to posts.

If you need someone to talk to, @[email protected] has kindly given his signal username to talk to: TherapyGary13.12

Rules

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

No promoting paid services/products.
Be kind and civil. No bigotry/prejudice either.
No victim blaming. Nor giving incredibly simplistic solutions (i.e. You have ADHD? Just focus easier.)
No encouraging suicide, no matter what. This includes telling someone to commit homicide as "dragging them down with you".
Suicide note posts will be removed, and you will be reached out to in private.
If you would like advice, mention the country you are in. (We will not assume the US as the default.)

If BRIEF mention of these topics is an important part of your post, please flag your post as NSFW and include a (trigger warning: suicide, self-harm, death, etc.)in the title so that other readers who may feel triggered can avoid it. Please also include a trigger warning on all comments mentioning these topics in a post that was not already tagged as such.

Partner Communities

To partner with our community and be included here, you are free to message the current moderators or comment on our pinned post.

Becoming a Mod

Some moderators are mental health professionals and some are not. All are carefully selected by the moderation team and will be actively monitoring posts and comments. If you are interested in joining the team, you can send a message to @[email protected].

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]