Just discovered being trapped makes my anxiety worse

You'll be all right pal it takes a real man to cry no matter what age u r in 20 I broke down on bus I felt so embarrassed coz of my anxiety I want it over and done with how long u had anxiety for ?

Unfortunately that's your 'Fight or Flight' response kicking in.  As you start to feel anxious your body automatically wants to respond by getting your out of there (it thinks you're under attack) so you want to get out of there.  I know it's not easy to do, but if you can recognise this and tell yourself that it's a natural reaction to feeling anxious it might calm you down a bit.  I've had loads of experiences like yours so know exactly what you're talking about.  The good news is that I doubt any of your friends noticed that anything was wrong.  I found that it helped if I sat on the end of a row at the cinema.

I can completely understand.  I was like that at a play in a rural setting  the other night.  Worried that I couldn't get out of the aisle.  Felt nauseous.  Chest pain.  Worried that we were miles from a hospital. Didn't absorb any of the play.  What a state anxiety leaves us in.

Ahhh Lupin that's awful 

Im going to have to buy the film when it comes out because I missed the majority of it lol 

thats a nightmare aswell waiting 5 weeks for that 

im supposed to be getting better but I just keep getting worse 

I cant afford any more time off work for the docs either 

What treatment are you getting?  I keep trying to fight it without meds.  But I am not improving.  

I was also like that recently.  I've noticed that they've "improved" movie theaters in our town lately by making the seats more steep for better viewing, but they've shrunk the width of the theater.  It has really bothered me as I feel very closed in.  What really helped me was to sit on the end of the aisle AND physically turn around and find all of the exits (not all areas have an exit as they previously did).  It gives me reassurance that I can get out if I need to.  Also, I try to only see movies that I feel that I'm really going to enjoy and be able to get into so that I can momentarily forget about my anxiety.  Also, nothing with caffeine (drink or chocolate) as a snack--this can up my agitation--only popcorn and maybe a lemonade for me.  Hope this helps.

Hi Joshua,

I want to congratulate you on hanging in there and not escaping! When I was in my late teens and what you described first happened to me, I was in a small flea-pit of a cinema and felt so awful I had to excuse myself and dash to the loo, before the film even started! I stayed in there so long that when I finally emerged my boyfriend was standing outside very concerned, so I told him I was ill and we left. Never did go to a cinema after that!

I had started having panic attacks, though I didn't know that's what they were, not long before that, after a school trip in a mini bus where I was horribly travel sick. I confessed my attacks to no-one and would just sit silently willing the queaziness to go away and my limbs return to normal when an attack happened - tingling lips and fingers, then totally stiff and numb lips and hands til it finally wore off.

I learned to live with it by avoiding cinemas / theatres for years, but had to go to a few concerts as I couldn't bear to miss out on them! I found the best way to cope (and I have to confess to still doing it now, aged almost 50!) was to sit at the end of a row and note where the nearest exits were and not eat or drink anything beforehand, except for a few sips of water and a couple of ginger biscuits (ginger is great at quelling nausea). My husband's works' Christmas parties were always scary at first - having to sit at a large table with company. Again, I just sought out the nearest exit and the location of the toilets and I found myself able to relax and eventually enjoy myself.

A few months ago we were invited to join friends at a comedy night and I thought it was in a pub. At the last minute I found out it was in a theatre and some of my old fears started to return. We got there early and had a drink at the bar whilst waiting - I wouldn't normally drink whisky but a whisky and ginger seemed good Dutch courage! The rows were fairly short and we had enough seats booked that I could have a very end one! After the first 20-30 minutes restlessness and anxiety I managed to relax and it was a very enjoyable evening!

All this anxiety is purely in our minds but can quickly affect our bodies - so it really is a case of mind over matter!

You should be very proud of yourself for staying to the very end. The fact you DID that but nothing awful actually happened to you as a consequence of the anxiety and you felt calm and well afterwards, shows you that you can beat this debilitating affliction. If you can let your closest friends / family members know, you may feel a bit less anxious - I found it helped when I finally admitted my problem to a later boyfriend.

Hang in there - it DOES get better.