The further away from home, the more stressed I get

[SamCo]

I have really been struggling to get out of the house lately, even if it is just to go now to the local supermarket or down to the city. I still can't go. I have a doctor's appointment coming later today and I am really nervous ongoing due to my anxiety. Usually, I could easily just get in the car and walk into shops/doctors but now it is a different story. Why is that?. I would love for somebody to give me an explanation of why, the further away from home, the more stressed I get. One of the reasons might be due to having a panic attack in the shops. Ever since I had a panic attack in the shops and feeling all of the symptoms, it has put me off going out places.

If somebody could really help me, that would be great
Thanks, Sam

[Sophie_M]

Hi SamCo,

Thanks for reaching out today; I can hear that this stress has been really interfering with your life and it makes sense why you'd be looking for an explanation for this. It sounds like that since you had that panic attack, the impacts of that has really stuck with you and trying to deal with the memories and feelings of that must be really difficult.

I'm going to open this up for our lovely community to chime in, as I'm sure that there are other people who are able to relate to how you feel and to share their experiences with you, but I also just want to say that as a forum, the main thing that we can offer is peer support and we can't offer anything like medical advice.

The reason that I say is this is because it seems like the types of answers you're looking for in terms of what might be going would probably best be answered by a doctor or a mental health professional, especially because you mentioned it might be related to a medical symptom or condition (panic attacks). You could consider speaking to your GP about this, otherwise you can always have a chat with one of our friendly counsellors at our Support Service at 1300 22 4636 or webchat (you can find out more information about that here). If you're under 25, Kids Helpline can also be really helpful because they run a 24/7 helpline at 1800 55 1800 and a webchat service, too.

But please know the forums are always a safe and nonjudgmental space for you to talk about what's going on, SamCo, and that we will always do whatever we can to support you.
 

[Wishes]

Hey SamCo!

Can I just say, I completely relate to how you are feeling. I still remember the first time going to the grocery shops while everyone was wearing a mask, and thinking "...This feels like it's straight out of a dystopian movie!".

Panic attacks can be scary, and a massive turn-off for pursuing the exact interactions that made that happen. My advice will never match that of a GPs or counselors as @Sophie_M mentioned, but some practical tips I could offer may help!

• What were the initial triggers (environment, external social issues, the mask, the shopping list, an interaction, a feeling) that began the panic attack? Are there ways to create a space for yourself that avoids any of these?
• Can you set yourself mini 'missions' to embark on? Such as, 'I'm going to walk to the chemist, and then walk home'. And work your way back up to interacting and entering the locations you would like to?
• Can you get support from a friend to perhaps drop off some shopping for you, so that there's less pressure to complete everything you need to do in one trip, but rather have a bit more of an experience playing it by ear at the shops?
• Could you organize something to look forward to, like a walk to a coffee shop that does takeaway? Or a walk with someone within 5km of you?

Finally, I hope your doctor's appointment went alright! If it didn't, that's okay, there's always phone consultations or another day to give it a go. But otherwise, that's a major win in itself, and a step in the right direction.

You're pretty awesome for deciding to acknowledge and overcome this, here's to brighter days!

Best,
Wishes