Fear of leaving the house

FEAR OF LEAVING THE HOUSE

It is VERY understandable to be nervous about going out after you have had panic

Remember that there is no certainty that you even WILL panic

but if you do thats ok – panic is just fear of fight or flight sensations that cant actually

do you any harm

so either way – it’s ok

now that you know about panic you will at least be more able to deal with it if it

arises.

In fact it’s great practice – its the best way to lose your fear of panic altogether

and when you lose your fear of panic it will stop happening

wont that be worth it

You don’t need to try and be certain that you won’t panic – if you do – it’s ok – so

what

Whats the worst that can happen – you panic, you feel anxious, you have to return

home

Thats all – in a couple of days it will be forgotten

If you never go out you won’t get the chance to learn that panic is actually just

scary but not harmful in any way

Right now your fear is based on misinterpretations about the symptoms

remember that – you are actually mistaken

you THINK that the symptoms are dangerous but its not actually true

and that’s why the feelings keep going – u get stuck in the cycle of fear

Feel right now that it is your OWN misinterpretations – your OWN catsatrophising

that is the ONLY problem

Your body is not in danger – your mind is not in danger

you just THINK it is

there is no separate problem happening in your body or mind

its all just a very simple mistake

harmless symptoms arise – mind gets frightened – body responds – fight or flight

symptoms increase and so on

frightening yes – but not harmfull – AT ALL

Remember that now you can PRACTICE – if you feel anxious you can bring all your

new understanding and skills to mind

What is the worst thing about having panic outside.

You think you will collapse – no one has ever collapsed because of a panic attack

You think you will not be able to move – ok – if you felt that then what?

Instead of picturing a catastrophe – picture the more likely outcome – someone

would ask are you ok – you would say no – i don’t feel very well – they would offer

help – someone would come and get you.

That is the worst case scenario

It might be distressing – but it’s not life threatening

You think going out will lead to a huge panic attack – as distressing as that can feel

– it is not actually harmful to you – a panic attack, no matter how severe cannot do

you any actual harm.

Ok you would rather NOT have the experience but you are learning that avoidance

is keeping the panic on hold so it is in your best interest to gradually face the fear

and that may inculde experiencing some anxiety.

Now that you have a new understanding and coping skills you will find it easier to

go towards situations that you fear.