I`m stuck inside

[Turi619]

I feel like a prisoner of my mind. I have been dealing with Anxiety and Depression for about 4 years. I spend all my days inside my room because dealing with the outside world gives me a lot of anxiety. Feel stuck and don`t know what to do. Feel broken inside.

[blackcat64013]

HI Turi619,

Thank you for your post.

You have described a form of anxiety call agoraphobia.

Help is available from a variety of sources, from online help groups, self-help books, government & non-government websites and telehealth consultations with a psychologist or in person if you want to.

You will usually find someone here too to support you 24/7 as we have members from around the world.

Best wishes from me in Australia 🐈‍⬛

[Turi619 in reply to blackcat64013]

thank you. I recently started talking to a therapist so hopefully everything goes well.

[blackcat64013 in reply to Turi619]

Hello again, I am glad you are doing the talking therapy. From my experience, the client-therapist relationship is such a big help on the road to recovery.

[Turi619 in reply to blackcat64013]

I agree. At first I didn`t know what to expect. I had an idea that was totally wrong but now that i actually had the courage to speak to a therapist, i wish i had done this years ago.

[AnxiousSilver]

"I have been dealing with Anxiety and Depression for about 4 years. I spend all my days inside my room because dealing with the outside world gives me a lot of anxiety. Feel stuck and don`t know what to do. Feel broken inside."

Well.. You're here.

& That's a good start.

.

Welcome.

This is a safe and supportive community.

.

Have you ever been "officially diagnosed" with anything?

[Turi619 in reply to AnxiousSilver]

I recently started talking to a therapist and he diagnosed panic disorder with agoraphobia and social phobia.

[AnxiousSilver in reply to Turi619]

"agoraphobia "

There's the key word, which is what I was already thinking yesterday, but I wanted to wait and see if you were diagnosed with it.

.

"I recently started talking to a therapist"

That's a good thing. Hopefully you will find tips, tricks, and ways to help get you through this from your therapist.

& If you get stuck along the way, remember that we are here for you.

[Turi619 in reply to AnxiousSilver]

I will keep that in mind and hopefully everything goes well. Only time will tell.

[designguy]

You might check out the DARE Anxiety book and their youtube videos about how to constructively deal with anxiety/panic and agoraphobia. Another book I found helpful and inspiring is At last a life and beyond by Paul David.

[Turi619 in reply to designguy]

I will check those out thank you. I recently finished reading "Be water, my friend" by Shannon Lee. It talked about her struggles with grief, anxiety and depression and how Bruce Lee's, her father, teachings helped her go trough it by learning how to deal with struggle and change your mentality when dealing with obstacles in life. I recommended it.

[designguy in reply to Turi619]

Sounds like a good read, i'll check it out. One of the things I found in my healing journey is how important having healthy self-worth and self-esteem is to our overall mental health and well being. I had none growing up and a lot of self hate and was shamed and punished for showing any signs of being proud of myself or standing up for myself. I also developed social anxiety which can stem from low-self-worth. There is a lot of good info on youtube about this as well as good books and programs on it. I like the writings of Dr. Bernadette Sewell and did her Break Free program. There is also a good book called Drive your own darn bus by Julia Kristina that I really like and she has good youtube videos. This might be something you relate to or not.

[Turi619 in reply to designguy]

My case is a little different. I started developing my anxiety because of stress and pushing myself too hard. The worst of it was that i took care of others and not myself. I dint know anything about mental health until it was too late. it was a slow decline that started in college. The long hours of full time job and full time student started my downfall but I didn't realize it. I have checked out videos of relaxing music and breathing exercises that my therapist recommended.

[designguy in reply to Turi619]

It's never too late, we can only gain wisdom by our experiences and what we learn from them. As a therapist of mine said, "it's never too late to have a happy childhood."

Sounds like you might have developed some perfectionism that you would do well to heal. I had high-functioning anxiety for years and was a perfectionist seeking external validation with little self-love and self-esteem. I started healing by realizing life is an inside job, not an external one and working on my self-love and self compassion. Best to you.

[Turi619 in reply to designguy]

I tried to help and be liked by everyone. Because of that I got cheated and betrayed by some friends and past relationships. Now that I think back, my problem was control. I thought that control made everything easy but now I know that control was an illusion. I'm also not a fan of change. Ironically change is the constant of life. Best to you as well.