Am i agoraphobic? i am a couple weeks without a car and accepted a ride to churc!

Am i agoraphobic? i am a couple weeks without a car and accepted a ride to church tomorrow. i havent been?

more than once since i moved here and am feeling reallyanxious about going. in fact im already planning on calling my ride and making up an excuse not to go. i just feel really insecure in places where i dont know anybody well and dont have any means to leave if i want or need to. i guess that i like to have thigs on my own terms, a sortof safety net. anyway, ive noticed myself iin situations feeling so self concious and nervous, almost like i was in some sort of spotlight. i went dancing for the first time and when my husband left to use the bathroom i didnt know what to do and felt like people were laughing at me and noticing and i almost started to cry, was miserable. and ive felt the same way in a few similar situations, i am fine having people i dont know over to my place in small numbers, i do wonderfully at makingthem feel comfortable and at ease, being congenial. am i looking into this way to much or what? on the other hand, i dont want to be afraid to leave the house.

You might have agoraphobia, though your writing also shows signs of social anxiety. Your doctor might be able to refer you to a therapist to help you work out your feelings, and they also might be able to prescribe medication to ease your tension in public situations. I suffer from social anxiety and paranoia, I often think people are looking at me, talking about me, or laughing at me. It's hard to be in public. I have noticed, however, that the more you isolate yourself, the harder it is to actually go out in public. It's a lose-lose situation in the short term if you go out, but a lose-lose situation in the long run if you isolate yourself. Try to do things that you are passionate about while in public places. Play with your dog, go for a run, ride a bike. You can wear headphones to distract yourself from conversations of other people. Try to focus on yourself as much as possible.

Also, going out to a movie or restaurant with a few close friends might ease your tension. Try to ease yourself out of your comfort zone more often so that going to parties might be easier. It's extremely difficult to have social anxiety and agoraphobia. Hang in there, and never stop fighting it, because if you isolate yourself, it'll just get worse.

I'll be thinking about you. I hope you can find some help for this. Try to talk to a therapist, psychiatrist, or doctor, because they might be able to provide more extensive help.