Is it possible to overcome agoraphobia? – Online Psychologists

After spending months locked up at home, looking out the window at a changing world in which there seemed to be no room for us, it may seem crazy to think that There are people who are unable to go out on the street. But it is one of the consequences of agoraphobiawhich, contrary to what most of the population thinks, is not exactly the fear of open spaces.

It is more about an anxiety disorder whose symptoms are triggered by a possible threat that, apparently, leaves no escape. As it may seem a complex explanation, it may be easier to understand it with an example: imagine that you go to the supermarket and, seeing yourself surrounded by people, you start to feel dizzy; although you manage to feel better, from now on you begin to feel anxiety at the mere idea of ​​going to the supermarket, because you fear that it will happen again. That's agoraphobia.

Those who suffer from agoraphobia can see how his life takes a 180º turn because of fear. Some are unable to take public transport, get into a car for fear of a traffic jam, and even leave their homes, because fear that anxiety will catch them off guard outside their homewhere they believe that no one could help them.

But, How does agoraphobia appear?

Imagine that you have had an unpleasant experience in public that ended with an anxiety attack or even a panic attack. Your brain may associate the anxiety with the place where it happened, or with the environment around you (for example, if you were surrounded by people, your mind may associate anxiety with crowds), which is known as misattribution and which consists of establishing a cause-effect relationship between two events that, in reality, are not related. By carrying out this association, Your brain identifies that environment as a danger. and, faced with the possibility of returning, activates the fear mechanism.

For example, in the current situation it is not strange that some people can Identify the risk of contracting Covid-19 when going out on the streetTheir brain will identify going outside as the cause of infection, so, due to the fear of the disease, they will begin to feel fear when the time comes to go out.

Although there is evidence of some genetic predisposition to agoraphobiacannot always be explained by biological factors. Stress, when it occurs over a prolonged period as a result of a traumatic situation, can serve as a breeding ground for agoraphobia. Training resiliencethat ability to cope with changes so necessary at a time like this, can prevent the onset of this disorder.

As we have explained, agoraphobia is characterized by an intense fear caused by stressful situations or places. Fear is, without a doubt, the main symptom of agoraphobia. and the reason why many people's lives are turned upside down by their inability to cope with certain situations.

In addition, agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder, so in the face of a possible threat Your body will prepare to flee increasing your heart rate, accelerating your breathing, or even sweating excessively. Anxiety, nausea, dizziness and tremors They are also some of the most common symptoms of agoraphobia.

If in the face of fear, you respond avoiding places you used to frequent, changing your habits or even locking yourself at homethen you most likely suffer from agoraphobia. It is also common feel like you have no control situations, feeling insecure or needing others to be able to cope with your daily life, developing dependence on those around you.

If you are dealing with agoraphobia, The best way to deal with it is by putting yourself in the hands of a psychologist. who can assess your situation and give you the tools necessary to overcome fear. If you do not feel comfortable going to a consultation for psychological therapy, Psychia We offer our services 100% online. You can try a first session for free by clicking on the “book an appointment” button and filling in your details so that our team can contact you.

Although psychological therapy is the most effective solution against agoraphobia, there are some practices you can put into practiceyourself to overcome agoraphobia.

It is important to recognize what the origin of your agoraphobia was and understand how fear and anxiety affect you.

It is common for people who suffer from agoraphobia to experience the very prospect of having an anxiety attack that ultimately triggers the anxiety. Agoraphobia plunges you into a vicious circleThe fear of that unpleasant sensation happening again is often what ends up causing it.

That's why it's important to identify the signs of anxiety in order to learn how to deal with them. For example, if you're aware that anxiety makes you lose control of your breathing until you run out of air, you can practice relaxation techniques to control your breathing while you're calm, which will allow you to put them into practice when anxiety threatens to attack you.

It is normal to have irrational fears, but that does not mean that they should not be faced. In the face of agoraphobia, try to be analytical: How many times have you succumbed to anxiety in that place? And yet, how many times have you gone there and nothing bad happened? By asking yourself this, you will realize that that anxiety attack was much more of a one-off than it seemed and that on many other occasions absolutely nothing bad happened.

But also ask yourself: What is the worst that could happen to you there? Whatever the answer, try to find a solutionIf you fear shortness of breath, learn to control your breathing; if you fear dizziness, carry a sugary drink with you and make sure you can find a place to rest nearby.

Recently, WHO has published a guide to learn how to manage stress. Using simple techniques that everyone can implement, the guide teaches how to deal with stress. One of its suggestions is to take the focus off your feelings and apply it to what surrounds you: observe, listen, smell, taste or feel what is around you. Focus on the colors, textures, sounds, shapes, flavors and smells.

After, reconnect with your bodystretch, breathe, feel the ground under your feet. And when you have achieved it,get back to what you were doing before the stress appears and put all your attention on it, until the stress disappears, or at least until it becomes bearable.

As we have already explained, The cause of agoraphobia is a misattribution This makes certain places or situations start to feel threatening. In your mind, you may associate crowds, open spaces, or large surfaces with anxiety, fear, and the inability to escape.

But you can reverse that effect by doing positive associationsFor example, if you are afraid of crowds, you can try watching a concert of your favorite band or singer on YouTube. If you are afraid of going to the center of your city because it is always full of people, look for beautiful images of its streets on the Internet. This way, you can gradually banish fear from places where it should never have been.

If someone in your environment suffers from agoraphobia, it may also be an unpleasant experience for you. People with agoraphobia often tend to neglect their social life and you may find it difficult to keep in touch with them. Other times, will need to depend on someone to be able to carry out tasks as seemingly simple as shopping.

Try to stay by their side and care about their well-being. Make sure your needs are met and, above all, try to facilitate communication between you: it is important that those who suffer from this disorder can express how they feel and what their fears areIn addition, it is essential that they feel accompanied, since it is very common for them to feel alone frequently.

Make sure they can gradually return to normal life: accompany them for walks, to go shopping and make the outings longer each time. This way, he will be able to see that there are no dangers out there and, in addition, will feel protected by your presenceuntil you can do it without help.

Don't let it stay isolatedencourage him to talk to his family or meet with his group of friends. It is important that his outings allow him to gather positive experiences.

And of course, Make sure he gets psychological helpsince your recovery will be faster and easier with the help of a online psychologist for agoraphobia.