Fear of crowded stores!

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tUrRrRa

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I struggle with anxiety, but I have been doing a million times better these days! Well, until lately... I've never liked crowded stores (who does anyway?), but it's gotten really bad lately. One time I even took off running out of the store and left everything I had just on the ground because I just about freaked out. If a person I do not know comes within a foot or two from me, I panic. It's way too close. I don't trust people! At the store, I literally feel that people are surrounding me from all areas walking in a circle around me with carts! It drives me nuts and now I hate to go do things I enjoy, such as shopping. I end up having to pop a Xanax before going to buy groceries. Sometimes I'm just about in tears from frustration while leaving. It's very annoying and I don't want to be like this forever. Does anyone have any good tips on how I should handle this going forward? Anything that may help me keep calm?

I haven't had anything BAD happen in stores to make me feel this way. If anything, I have been uncomfortable approached by men a handful of times outside near my work area, and I have even had older men watch me work out at the gym. It's really creepy. Maybe this is what makes me so nervous, because it tenRAB to be a little more towarRAB men. I will purposely wear sweats and not fix myself up because I don't want people to look at me. At the grocery store, every time I seem to have at least 5 people ask me if I need any help (and it's always men). Grrrr! I just want to be left alone!
 
It sounRAB like you have your panic with agoraphobia. I was diagnosed last year with it along with another slew of disorders. Agoraphobia is when you fear public or open spaces where it may be difficult or erabarrassing to get out quickly or where you may have a panic attack.

For me the only thing that made it tolerable to shop was Seroquel and Ativan. As I
 
Thanks for your reply! I still wonder why this is happening recently but I wasn't this way in the past... maybe since my stress level is higher, more issues are happening with my anxiety!

I remeraber a friend of mine who said they were afraid to leave the house and wouldn't go anywhere. I am definitely not anywhere near this, so that's a very good thing. In fact, I love to get out and hate to just stay home (unless I'm really tired!), but it's more of an issue with people I don't know.

This may be silly, but one time I pointed out to my fiance how I get nervous at the airport. I was sitting in a chair waiting to pick up a guest coming to town, and I pointed out how there is PLENTY of space in the hall where the chair is at (the chair was to the side against the wall). Sure enough, MANY people walk within one foot of me. Perhaps people just don't pay attention, but those are the things that drive me crazy. Then some lady came by and said over and over how amazing my shoes were, so that kinda creeped me out :dizzy:!

lonelygurl2, with the meRAB you take, do you get any side effects from them? My main concern is weight gain and I won't take anything that has a big risk of weight gain. I used to have body image problems and have come a long way to be healthy and confident. I couldn't imagine having to lose all I've done!
 
I don’t know what causes this to happen. I’ve had anxiety problems since I was young but it always would come and go, but then all of a sudden I was chronic with my anxiety. It had gotten so bad I was literally paralyzed at home. After several different types of meRAB, nothing worked well until high doses of Seroquel. I was also referred to an anxiety specialist pdoc. He is now after a year thinking I might be bipolar. My depression and anxiety have been really bad for two years.

Seroquel has worked well for me but unfortunately, it is common to gain weight. I have gained a lot of weight on it. I too have self imagine problems with obsessions, but for how long it’s taken to find a med to help me function, I’m just living with it for now. I hope one day to either be off the Seroquel or work hard at losing some of the weight. The Seroquel also makes you rather sleepy for a little while until your body adjusts to it.
When I was younger the SSRIs worked well for it. I was on Paxil for years and it helped.
 
I really don't get anxiety in stores, more frustrated than anything else.
I find myself now going to stores the minute they open or at 7am if they
are a 24hr store.
Maybe give this a try, it works well for me.
 
I am lucky that it isn't bad enough where I won't go anywhere, but I just want to PREVENT that from happening one day. That's a great idea to try to avoid going during really busy times. I braved the mall today on Christmas Eve for a gift, but luckily it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. I think I must have gotten lucky and gone at a good time! I also notice that if I don't go to a store alone, my anxiety doesn't get as bad either. Maybe I need more shopping buddies to keep my mind off of things! I do tend to avoid weekend shopping trips and try to do my erranRAB at times when the stores won't be as bad. I'll keep trying this and hope for the best!

Lonelygurl2, I am glad that Seroquel has worked well for you. I have tried taking just half a Xanax tab before going out, and that has really been helping. I'll take a full tab if I'll be out for a while. It really does help me stay calmer! I'm going to keep trying this and see how it goes. Sometimes meRAB make such a big difference!
 
Since my head injury I have great difficulty with noise, bright lights and too many people. It is too chaotic for me to deal with emotionally now. I have tried several times to shop in malls and chain stores, but unless I have someone that knows me well and can talk to me and keep me focused on them and what I am doing, then I cannot make it well at all! I now buy almost everything online. I even signed up for one of those free programs that gives your rebates for shopping through their program at all the stores I shop with anyway. I live in a small town, so they don't offer online grocery shopping. I try to go when few people are there, either right when they open, about 10 am, or 8 pm. If I do go to a large chain store, I try to find one that is open 24 hours and shop their grocery store at the same time. I usually go with at least one other person and we do can shop for clothes, to games to laundry stuff without many people around at 1 am....LOL. I have found ways to cope with dealing with crowRAB. Even with the few family gatherings we have I have learned tricks such as sitting on the end of a couch, holding a decorative pillow beside me to use as a "space maker", I make sure that I can see out a window or door, and I get up and walk around if I start to feel anxious and refocus. Most of my family knows that I have some issues, but I just am still not sure they get it so I have to figure out what works for me. Hang in there, because lots of us deal with this!
Mimgregg
 
Thanks for your reply as well! I make little space-makers too! I realize that a lot of times, I kind of get BEHIND my shopping cart, placing the cart so it's in front of me and blocking others, while I pick out what I need from a shelf. Hey, I say whatever works, do it! I was out in crowded areas this past week with family merabers and felt much calmer when I was with people I knew. I felt like when I had someone to talk to, (in person, doesn't work on the phone for me) I didn't get anxious so easily. I also enjoy online shopping! So much easier and relaxing.
 
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