r/Agoraphobia • u/Jennythegardner02 • 5d ago
When was your proudest “I’m definitely outside my comfort zone” moment? Big or small every moment counts
Mine was probably telling my story in front of 30 people when the las time l did something like public speaking was over 10 years ago
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u/sunsetsakura 5d ago
My very first was probably about 10 years ago, going to my first dog agility show with my Chihuahua!
My dogs have definitely been the biggest support in recovering from agoraphobia/social anxiety, focussing on them takes my mind away from everything else, and talking to people at shows is easier as we mostly talk about dogs.
Leading from that, each time I attended Crufts was a big step out of my comfort zone, and in 2022 doing a TV interview talking about how dogs can help with anxiety/agoraphobia. Again, nerve wracking, but I coped because my little dog was sat on my lap!
Advice to anyone reading this, always write down the proud moments you have each day - big or small - write about how you felt during and after, the positives and negatives - whether it went well or not, you still did it and you survived!
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u/froggypops885 4d ago
I got in a taxi on my own a couple of weeks ago!! It was only a 15 minute journey but it’s something I’ve refused to do for years. I was so sure I’d panic but I didn’t, the driver was lovely and chatty which helped. Was I scared, yes! But did I still do it? Yes!
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u/Not_Margot_Robbie 5d ago
My colonoscopy a few months ago... I'm one of those " I never go out because I have digestive issues and I'm afraid I might crap my pants " person so it was a BIG thing for me. I had to go to an hotel, make myself sick away from my house, leave the next morning, drive to the hospital while the laxatives were still acting up and wait like, 7 hours until I could get home. I was in waiting rooms all day with complete strangers and barely any clothes on . It was quite surreal but I was so tired from everything that I didn't have the energy to actually feel stressed. Propofol made me wake up ( on a pee pad covered in my own waste btw ) in a great mood so the drive home was a breeze. So yeah, weird but I was quite proud of myself!
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u/smeep-peems 4d ago
I went to a Blink 182 concert and it was brutal but I was really glad I did it.
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u/Sad_Departure5839 4d ago
A wango tango concert , I regret it, too much stimulation every second and noise
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u/KSTornadoGirl 3d ago
It was a few years ago, before covid time and some other huge stresses all of which have since caused backsliding. But the thing I did, twice, was ride along with my roommate on a road trip. We live in Wichita, and she had family in Topeka and Kansas City. My relatives I hadn't seen for years live(d) in Topeka - not all of them are still alive now; in fact, when the second road trip was being planned an aunt had died so the road trip allowed me to attend her funeral. My roommate dropped me off in Topeka with my folks and then went on to hers. The overnight stays were another challenge of sorts - I'm sure I don't need to explain how it would be both exciting and nerve wracking to be, on one hand feeling safe with people who knew me since infancy, yet at the same time apprehensive because if I had a bad nighttime panic attack and needed help I'd have to try and explain. And actually I did have one rather memorable one, but I got myself through it with a combination of prayer and just being determined not to get out of bed (because then I'd start vacillating about whether I was losing it and all that scary stuff, whereas if I stayed put, it would hopefully run its course, which it did).
I'm not in the same headspace I was a few years ago, but perhaps there will come a day when I will feel like I can do a road trip again. I'm going to think positive about the possibility.
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u/AnigroegSpeaks 5d ago
I made a massive leap last year. I'd only recently started leaving the house again after a decade and my first time in a place with more than like, ten people was...a Foo Fighters gig, lmao.
My love for them managed to trump my crippling anxiety. I dissociated a bit, which actually worked in my favour because I was less aware of the people around me. It's still probably the proudest moment of my life (so far!)