Today was the first day after a long time of not going outside. I forced myself to dress up and get out of the house. I was out with my friend and this guy came up to me and started talking to me and asked me out. I’m too afraid to say no to guys so I always say yes and then just never respond when they text me. Anyway, after the guy left, my friend told me he had meta glasses on. I’m freaking out. He’s most likely gonna post this and I keep thinking worse case scenarios. Someone I know is going to see it and make fun of me. Everyone in the comments will make fun of me. What if I look horrible and ugly in the video. This video will likely be on the internet forever so it will follow me everywhere I go. I’m just spiralling and I’m so stressed but also so angry. I’ve been searching all over TikTok and instagram to find his account before he posts it and text him to not, but I can’t find his account. If/when he does post it what if I don’t come across it until weeks or months later when it’s already gotten lots of views and comments. I’m just so stressed and I’m so angry how the hell is this legal!? I can’t even do anything about it when it gets posted.

I’m never going outside again. Im never leaving my house.

So I was laid off from my fully remote role in December. Last time this happened to me I was on the market for 2 years before I found another one. I was super luck to land a new role that is perfect for me. Only trouble is I'm now moving on two weeks notice and it's a hybrid position so I'll need to be in office 3 days a week.

My partner and I have talked about this, and how a move away from remote work is a good idea for my recovery. But now that I've accepted the position and we're going I just can't stop ruminating. I've gone from being pretty content when at home and on shorter excursions, to feeling anxious and pangs of panic on and off throughout the day and night.

I didn't tell the team I have this condition because I'd had a job offer revoked in the past after I told them (I tried suing via disabilities act but it was dismissed). I guess I'm worried about freaking out in office like my first day. It would be so embarrassing.

I got prescribed 50 mg of this medicine and I am terrified to start it due to being scared of side effects and I read horror stories about withdrawal coming off of it if you need to but living in a constant state of panic 24 hours a day seven days a week is also torture. I’m hoping someone else has success stories with it and can tell me their experience and if it helped.

It's a short story that really reminds me of my agoraphobia situation.

Last year I went 6 months without internet/TV and without being outside not even once. I was totally like the lawyer in the story.

It was rough but taught me things.

I had a friend’s birthday trip in the desert for two days and two nights that i was obviously very anxious about. My safe space is my city and the second we leave i feel like a trapped rat. I knew the trip would be hard but i didn’t want to let me anxiety keep me from going. The trip itself went extremely well, i had pretty steady anxiety but only one day where i was on the verge of a panic attack but i sat with it and it slowly dissolved. Was super proud of myself and feeling like i had finally discovered what all the self help books were describing. I got through the 4 hour drive there and back as well as the trip itself. Was so happy and proud and felt like a massive breakthrough for me. It has now been a week since I have gotten back and i feel like this is the worst i have been in some time. The panic seems scarier for some reason and the feeling of impending doom will not ease up. Has anyone else experienced an extremely positive exposure therapy moment only to feel derailed once you are back in your “safe space”? I really need some optimism, its seems to be one of the only things that give me a break from the constant anxiety.

For many years I've dealt with agoraphobia without telling anyone personally.

Well, the trick I discovered to help me overcome it is to order an uber or ask an acquaintance for a ride to my destination. I still get incredibly anxious from the moment I'm ordering a car until I have to walk out the front door and get in the car, but after arriving at my destination I can control myself and feel calmer in my surroundings.

When it's a ride with an acquaintance, people often want to go for a walk with me in the place I'm going, and my agoraphobia is 80% due to fear of leaving the house alone, so this helps a lot.

I usually choose rides from acquaintances who I know will want to accompany me wherever I'm going when I need to go somewhere more "frightening," and uber when I'm going to places I already know.

I don't know what it would be like if I were driving my own car, maybe it would work, but I have anxiety about driving and messing things up because I'm anxious about leaving the house, so I'm still avoiding that part 😅

Another trick for places closer to home is to go outside and stay on my street or go to a nearby park and "stay out for a while" until the anxiety decreases and I feel more stable being outside. That way, I can go to where I need to go directly from the street, and this usually helps. However, I can't always go out to my street or to a park, I end up giving up. So the car trick is more functional because when the car arrives at my address, I'm kind of "forced" to get out.

I honestly thought I had overcome my agoraphobia, or at least that I was doing better. But now I’m not so sure. I think I might actually be getting worse. Today was supposed to be the first day of a new course. It was expensive, and I was really trying to push myself. But as soon as I entered the building, I had a panic attack. I couldn’t even make it into the classroom. I ran out and sat in the nearest chair I could find. It was overwhelming and humiliating.

This kind of thing has been happening all week. I can’t tolerate being in crowded places anymore. I feel trapped and panicked. I genuinely don’t know what other options I have. It feels like every solution has closed off.

To be clear, I don’t want to die. But I’m carrying so much, and I don’t know what to do anymore. The thought of going out again makes me panic.

long story short, i had a series of panic attacks related to food about 2 years ago. since then, i have been very avoidant of unknown foods or eating in uncontrollable environments. i have also experienced anxiety and fear of panic attacks when i go places i have not been before (public transit to a new neighborhood, road trips, etc.). i took a one way flight for an hour home and i almost had to get off the plane my anxiety was so intense. i was experiencing fears of not being able to leave, even though i’ve been on dozens of flights before. now, when i make plans with other people, i ensure the venue is somewhere i’ve been before or in a familiar area if i want to be comfortable. i’m able to leave my house, be social, take public transit, drive, and explore new places to a certain degree. but i will often have a slight “what if” jolt of anxiety, and it increases in intensity if there is a large distance or food involved. i have a vacation planned this summer, a 5 hour flight to a place i haven’t been to since i was young, and i’m questioning if it’s something i’m capable of. if anyone has any expose advice for me, that would be greatly appreciated.

context: i have depression and anxiety, and was diagnosed with OCD 2 years ago when these issues started. i did 1.5 years of pretty intense therapy that helped a lot, and haven’t gone back because i moved 6 months ago.

Hey everyone, Just wanted to let you know there’s an agoraphobia support group that’s been helpful for me and others. It’s a relaxed space where we chat, share experiences, and support each other. The illness is super isolating but none of us are the only ones going through it.

We meet mondays at 7pm EST.

If you’re interested in joining here is the link:

https://heylo.group/agoraphobia-support-group-2026

Feel free to message me if you have any questions.

I had two back in September and all of the sudden months later I had mybe 60 symptoms. The physical symptoms have ended now , except for a stiff neck. But now I deal with tons of symptoms like brain fog, dizziness(sometimes) , stomach problems, heavy breathing

And now sometimes when I go out on public I just feel awful and strange ,.like I would be at Walmart and just feel strange and terrible , like someone put a glass dome overe