My panic and anxiety has come back after 30 years. I have severe agoraphobia for 4 months.

God bless you for taking the time to be so kind as to reply. Do you take any medication. Thank God you are feeling better. You have given me alot of hope. I just hate feeling so horrible. I want to get better so badly. I live in Long In the States. How long did it take to feel better. I hate this torture every day. And I don't sleep well either. I have anxiety in my sleep. Thank you again. It is hard for people who have never experienced this to understand.

Hi Babbs. Sorry for late reply. Once I acknowledged I had to get help and really push myself even if I was terrified to go out or felt so down and ill I couldn't imagine getting ready I had my mum go everywhere with me, practically forcing me out to do something small everyday, even staying with me to take my mind off constantly obsessing over how bad I felt. Doc monitored meds, gave me diazapam which I would take to calm me down a little then I would get ready and push myself everyday, . Just simple things like going for coffee which was terrifying but the thought of doing things was worse than actually doing them, I had to push through the fear, I would go to places that weren't too busy at first, gradually with reasurance from everyone I was doing well my mood started to lift and I started to feel a little more confident and my mood lifted. It helped to keep busy and after the initial fear wore off I think getting out in the fresh air and the exceecise and actually feeling good I'd done something helped.( sounds simple , I know) going from feeling so uptight and hopeless, seems impossible when your anxiety is telling you you can't do it. It's very gradual, day by day, even hour by hour doing small things but pays off. Nowadays I get all horrid anxiety symptoms now and then but push through them, still feel better going places with someone but lead pretty good life, ( compared to what it was) only use meds now occasionally for family occasions , airports, etc, or when I have lots of people around and feel a little overwhelmed. Hope you can get to a better place Babbs, know it seems impossible at mo but please keep in touch, all routing for you. 😊??

HiBabbs, hope when meds kick in fully, your mood will lift and you will feel less agitated, hopefully then you will have a little more energy and find you can push yourself. Know the feeling well of being so upset that I wanted to get better but anxiety took all the fight out of me and I almost gave up. Please stick in there and don't lose hope. I would say I thought I was worse than everyone else and my anxiety and horrid racing thoughts would never get better, as I didn't have the internet years ago and had nobody to talk to , I felt so alone and thought I was mad or something. Thank goodness for this forum and the fact people can reasure each other they are not alone and we know exactly how each other are feeling, hoping you see improvement soon and get some peace, remember your not alone, keep in touch , readying other posts even if they aren't similar to yours helps , it keeps your mind away from worrying/racing. I hate the fact others are suffering but so glad people don't suffer in silence alone, maybe asking questions here as they need reasurance before confiding in family and docs etc. Do you have anyone close Babbs who could spend time with you and talk things through. My mum spent nights with me when I was scared to sleep and scared when I woke, just felt better with someone there. Also sometimes wanted to be alone and just feel sorry for myself but knew this would make things worse' ' poor mum ' got the brunt of everything but she says it was worth it for the days now where she actually sees me smile. Keep me updated Babbs , always here for you😊??

HiBabbs. Keep talking to your daughter and never feel that you can't because you don't want her to worry. She would definitely rather you confided in her than suffered on her own and like my mum she will be so relieved one day when she sees you happy again, and she will be so happy she helped you through this. We are so lucky to have someone . My heart goes out to people who have no one. Hope you are feeling a little better, a little more positive, I know it's only baby steps at the moment but just little things like getting through another day and knowing people are there for us is a help. Always here if you need to chat, or just have a rant. 😊??

Hi Babbs. Was going to put a post on later if I hadn't heard from you, just hoping today would be a bit better. The waiting really is the hardest. If we could say ' oh this will be over next week and I will feel better it would still be horrid but so much easier knowing how long we would feel like this and that we would feel better soon' . Really feel for you , and others, know how frustrating it is, I can only describe it as anxiety trying to drive us insane, I would think totally irrationally and obsessively even though I know we are all intelligent people just super sensitive and anxious. you will feel better soon, Babbs, please stay positive, people always told me this and I screamed at them that they didn't understand how bad I felt, looking back they were right but I felt so awful in the midst of it and nothing anybody said would help. Keep fighting , keep talking, keep busy,. Are you eating Babbs and drinking plenty? I lived on milkshakes/ smoothies if I couldn't eat, needed something to keep strenghbup when I couldn't eat. Eventually I started to eat a bit better and sleep better going from 3 hrs sleep a night to 5or 6 and not so panicky as soon as I woke, it really was a case of giving it time. Keep me posted Babbs,  always here for you.😊??

HiBabbs. Still here, hope you manage to get to your daughters for Thanksgiving. You don't have to be the life and sole just being there will mean everything and though the thought of it is a massive task it will be ok, you are with people you love and they understand. I had to force myself to go to similar things and always had an excuse ready but always managed to survive it, . I hope maybe you can pat yourself on the back for getting through something so huge the way you feel at the moment. Do you feel better Babbs if you are reasured by your doctor/ physiatrist? . Don't be afraid to visit, when you feel really bad you need reasurance. Meds can seem to take ages to start working properly, . I thought just a few people had this problem with meds but so many people here seem to go through hell just waiting for meds to help and then questioning if they are on the right one. Read so many posts of people in absolute turmoil with their symptoms, wish there was a quick fix. Always great to hear people are starting to feel better. Praying you feel better soon . 😊????Sending you an extra heart for Thanksgiving.