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Does anyone feel weird in open spaces?

Posted , 73 users are following.

Moo88
Moo88

So ive been complaining about this for so long but with little support or answers to what it is i just get told its all anxiety. Anyway when im in any open spaces mainly in supermarkets or shopping centres and even in my house, i feel panicked in open spaces like i feel detached from my body and numb and loss of control so i feel on edge because i feel like i need to hold on to something. The strange thing is if im pushin a trolley, or the pram or holding on to someone i feel fine. I just feel like i cant feel my body when im walking unaided in open spaces. Does anyone get this? I cant remember the last time ive went to town on my own because of this feeling, its almost a feeling of unbalance like i feel like i could fall x

11 likes, 173 replies

173 Replies

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  • debi62095
    debi62095 Moo88

    Edited

    Yes i get open space panic, BUT what you must do is not to avoid these as they wont go away, gradual desensitise with coping strategy techniques, ie go out but at first with someone then gradually on your own.  Its really putting thoughts into rational perspectives - lots of advice and books on line or Gp couunsellor etc.
  • millieT
    millieT Moo88

    Posted

    If the fear diminishes when you are physically supported, holding on to a trolley or someone else, then this could be an inner-ear thing - such as

    labyrinthitis - so get that checked out with your GP.

    Don't attribute to anxiety what could be physical conditions. I got told for 12-18 months that my symptoms were just anxiety. I had a bowel cancer. Not saying this is something on your card, but there is a real danger in thinking everything is anxiety-related.

    I can getting over the agoraphobia now that I know that the physical issue was which was undermining my confidence in myself.

  • Yorktown
    Yorktown Moo88

    Posted

    Hi

    you have explained EXACTLY how my mom felt every time she went out. She was diagnosed with agoraphobia and was house bound for many many years. When I was a bit older she was able to go out only if she was pushing a shopping cart or holding on to someone as you explained. I've never heard anyone else with these symptoms except you and her. She would have to take Xanax to go out as well. I urge you to seek help for this. I mainly answered because I'm sympathetic and understand. I'm sorry you have to endure this. Hugs to you! 

    • joshua22449
      joshua22449 Yorktown

      Posted

      Hiya york town i get this feeling but i am avle to control it by pushing myself forward .. I feel fine for the first hour im awake but after that it's constantly this when i need to go to shops ect .. Just wondering if your mother got any help that really did help her .. I have good and bad days .. I went on holiday last year and didn't have a single bad day in about 2 weeks .. Just to let you know ? also i rarely get this sensation in the summer (only when the nights get darker) very strange .. may the in with depression ..

  • ckweth
    ckweth Moo88

    Posted

    Hi! I'm a new user to this site and am the mother of an 11year boy who suffers from this. He finds it really hard to describe how he feels in open spaces and says its not exactly dizziness. What you described as feeling detached and numb and needing to hold on to things is the closest we've come to finding somebody else who experiences the same as him. We've started seeing a therapist who thinks most of his problem is anxiety and has given him relaxing sounds to listen to and various copring strategies such as carrying something heavy, wearing a hoodie, chewing gum, self comfortingwith arm hugs and hand massages. He says these things help a tiny bit but don't solve the problem. I'm not 100% convinced that there isn't something physical wrong although the doctor a couple of years ago couldn't find anything. I might revisit the GP just in case it it an inner ear problem such as labyrinthitis. It would be great just to be able to give him medication to stop this but from other comments it sounds as though it takes a lot of time just to find ways of coping. 
    • eastcoastn87579
      eastcoastn87579 ckweth

      Posted

      ck weth... Good morning my name is Dominic I've been going through this since I was 11 years old and now I'm 46 and deal with this every day since that day it started on an open soccer field. This has to do with the anxiety and it is also called DE realization. When the body feels it cannot handle certain situations what it does is it makes things seem less real could be a way to cope with the reality at hand which could be anxiety at that moment..unfortunately. The minds way of helping us deal is doing the exact opposite of what its trying to help us with it's totally scary. has anyone heard of fainting goats? when startled they fall. as humans one of the main things we are afraid of is indeed falling or fainting. right before we faint leading us to ultimately fall we get the sweaty plams , fast heartbeat, feeling off balance and out of body(dream like experience. so it makes total sense to avoid avoid avoid. it's so scary.....but when i force myself to cross that field or go to that open mall and live to tell about it I become more confident. and I becomes easier...its hard to get over it. I'm always using a walking stick when I can. walk close to walls. I also need an escape route and have to have my car in site in case I have get back to it to take refuge from the agoraphobic derealazation anxiety panic situation..but distraction does wonders... I want a life without this..love to all....

    • nbw70
      nbw70 eastcoastn87579

      Posted

      you mentioned the wall thing! This is exactly what i do! if i go yo the little corner shop i walk next to tje parked cars and walls, its wierd though because i only feel like this when i walk on concrete as im absolutely fine on grass! i could be in a big massive open field and ot sweat, Shake or panic, but if im on concrete like a road or pavement in a large open space and no one is next to me then im petrified

  • Moo88
    Moo88

    Posted

    I still have this problem although its not a problem because I never go out alone really but I do go out but when I do go to a shopping centre I walk near to the person I'm with incase I loose my balance or I hold on to them. I still feel unwell a lot and yeh you could say anxious its like I'm obsessed by my health now days. I have seen a physio ie VRT which is vestibular retraining therapy and he thinks my symptoms sound like migraine associated vertigo because I get frequent headaches but even regular dizziness. I always feel off in myself but to everyone they say I'm looking well and all health checks come back normal. Maybe it is possible for our minds to play tricks. I am not scared to go out alone its more of a case of feeling scared incase I feel unwell or feel dizzy or anxious while I am out alone x
    • ckweth
      ckweth Moo88

      Posted

      I really feel for you. It must be awful feeling unwell all the time and having to be with somebody every time you go out. I hope the VRT helps you - let the group know if it does. It must be very frustrating that nothing medical has been found - I'm sure it's not al in your mind. When did these felings start? Was there anything that triggered them such as something scary happening to you when you were in an open space?
    • Moo88
      Moo88 ckweth

      Posted

      It just came on for no reason. It did all start once I had my daughter all of the problems with feeling unwell, dizzy, spaced out, not being able to walk in open spaces etc. Part of me does wonder if it was all hormones and anxiety because how can I be really healthy and no problems at all to experiencing all this from having a child but then all tests and check ups come back normal. Every doctor and consultant I have seen indicate anxiety or say to relax more and find ways to keep occupied. I did however have this problem as a child I suddenly became scared of the playground at school being so open and I went to a physciatrist( sorry about spelling) and after that I remember being back to normal and no issues with it all those years up until after the birth.
    • ckweth
      ckweth Moo88

      Posted

      That's really interesting that it started when you were at school. My son said it started with him when he was about 5 and he felt dizzy in the assembly hall. Two years ago it got really bad but the GP thought it was coordination problems and gave him eye, head and coordination exercises to do but when I saw him this sports day I could see that these hadn't helped at all and he wouldn't join in and walk on the field.

      I really think having a baby is all to do with your problems returning - having a baby makes most mothers anxious at the best of times and all the hormonal chages don't help. Also, how ridiculous for anyone to tell you to relax! You would relax if you could and you can't relax just because somebody orders you to.

      It's interesting that seeing a psychiatrist helped you when you were a child - I think that will be the next step with my son. We're seeing a therapist at the moment but after 4 weeks it hasn't helped loads and is very expensive, so I think after a few more weeks we will go to the GP and ask to be referred to a child psychiatrist. I'll let you know how my son gets on.

      Have you thought about going to see a psychiatrist again? Please don't worry about your spelling - it's been great to find someone who can explain how they feel and my son can relate to. I'll keep in touch about anything that my son does that helps him - he does say that listening to the relaxation tapes the therapist has given him helps a tiny bit as does wearing a hoodie, carrying something heavy and chewing gum when he's in open spaces. It certainly doesn't completely sove the problem. Have you tried any of those things?

    • Moo88
      Moo88 ckweth

      Posted

      Hi how is your son getting on?x
    • ckweth
      ckweth Moo88

      Posted

      Hi! I've only just seen your message. He went through a really bad patch a few months ago where he hated being in shopping centres or shops with high ceilings like Sports Direct and he really struggled with PE lessons anywhere on a field. His PE teacher has been great and really supportive and my son seems to be gradually getting a bit better in the last few weeks. If he becomes familiar with somewhere he doesn't like it seems to help and we've been taking him to open fields to see how he gets on and each time he can get further and further into the centre of the field. I'm trying not to get too excited in case it gets worse again, and I'm trying to be aware that it could get worse maybe when he's a lot older. We went down the NHS route but he could tell that the person we saw didn't really know what to advise but in a way this was good as I think it pushed him to try as hard as he coul to get better by himself. How are you doing?
    • madonn95250
      madonn95250 Moo88

      Posted

      Hello, Moo88,  I just found this web site while searching in web browser.  I read your text and couldn't believe how similar our symptoms are and ongoing.   My symptoms started nearly 6 years ago and came on suddenly.  Naturally, I had any physical reason ruled out by neurologist, radiologist, physical therapist, and attending physicians at a major U.S.teaching hospital as well as experts on "dizzy" @ Mayo Clinics in USA.   The only thing they could come up with after thousands of dollars in tests is that it is psychosomatic response to an old traumatic memory, like PTSS.  It is all in your head?   B/C there is no physical reason for the symptoms.  

      The therapy of choice is EMDR and of course a trial of anti-depressants or anti-anxiety prescriptions.   I opted out on the prescription and am trying the EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for treating an un-conscience  trauma. Of course nearly anyone can look back at childhood and find something that may have had a negative impact emotionally, right? 

         So,  the verdict is still out.   I am not cured (after recent weekly visits to a qualified health care counselor)  nor wonder if anyone really knows how to cure this mysterious syndrome shared by everyone posting on this site.  It just seems so strange, doesn't it, very mysterious at the least.   Shouldn't someone have found   a cure by now, something that really works!   

      Meditation, nutritional supplements, hypnosis?  Anything?

    • nbw70
      nbw70 ckweth

      Posted

      hi, i realy hope your son gets over all this xxx

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