Taking The First Step - Conquering Agoraphobia

Agora in Greek means 'marketplace', and phobia means 'fear'. Agoraphobia in English refers to people who have a fear of going out into public places. Many people are essentially trapped in their homes by this type of fear. Some have not been out in years and others go out only when really necessary.



Although people's fears make it very difficult to do things in their lives, there are ways to overcome these fears and to begin to lead a life that is free of the constrictions that agoraphobia can cause.



The first question to ask is "How does my agoraphobia limit my life?" Maybe you can't see your relatives or friends unless they come to your house. Maybe you have gone without food or medicine because you couldn't make yourself go out. Maybe you have missed important events because of your fear. If this is the case, then it is time to deal with the fear.



Before we have feelings, we have thoughts and it is important to become aware of these thoughts. Perhaps your thoughts include: "I might die if I go out" or "Something terrible is going to happen to me if I go out" or "Something might happen to my home if I go out". If you become aware of the thoughts that are leading to the agoraphobia, you will be more likely to deal constructively with them.



We all have fears. They are part of our lives and there is no way to live life without fear. If we were perfectly able to predict the future, then we wouldn't have so many fears - but we can't. So, we have to have some way of dealing with our fears.



Now, it really doesn't matter where the fear comes from, you don't have to remember back to your early childhood to find the root of the fear, unless you want to. What you do need to do is make a commitment to deal with the fear.



There are two ways to do this and they probably should be used together. One is to gradually overcome the restrictions of agoraphobia by taking baby steps. Go to the front door of your home and stand there. Take some deep breaths. Yes, the fear is there, but it hasn't killed you, has it? Perhaps the next day you might open the door and stand in the doorway. Within a week you might be out on the sidewalk, but with your door open.



A second way is to think of fear as a little scared child who is in your charge. You might mentally imagine holding the child's hand as you make progress towards defeating the effects of agoraphobia.



Defeating agoraphobia does not mean becoming fear-less. It means choosing not to allow your fear to rob you of your life.



To learn more about this intruiging condition, there are a wealth of resources at your fingertips via the internet. One of the best that I have found is at VideoJug.com, where they have filmed an interview with an expert on the subject of Agoraphobia.