I hate going outside when my neighbors are outside

My mom asked me to go check to see if there was any mail and before I go outside I always check to see if anyone is in their front yards. My neighbors were all outside playing with their kids and things. So i waited to see if they would have a break in all the fun and maybe go inside for a bit. No luck I was waiting for quite some time. My mom got upset and pushed me out of the way to go get the mail herself. I felt bad because I couldn't do a simple favor for her but on the other hand was relieved I didn't have to go outside.

That's a shame. Are you planning to live your whole life inside? Or by avoiding other people?

I figure you are young person. Its a real worry that you are already this avoidant. Do you ever think about your choices in terms of what it will mean for your whole life instead of just your current fear? You need to push beyond your fears otherwise you will end up stuck inside, living a lonely boring existance.

I've tried to overcome the fear of people but it's hard. I just feel like I don't deserve to be around other people. I feel like I'm doing everyone a favor by staying indoors.

I have a similar thing, in my case though I feel as though if out n about I should be on my way somewhere or doing something, not just meandering about. Wouldn't say it's agoraphobic though, that to me is the Jody Foster movie where she's a profiler and literally collapses just trying to get out of her doorway.

I began being teased in junior high and it got so bad I tested out of school by high school. Of course, this was long before anyone knew bringing a gun to school was an option...Sorry, my gallows sense of humour. So I think my self-esteem, though consciously all right isn't subconsciously. I've gotten better about it over the years though. When I first moved in here I almost never opened the drapes if I'd be visible, especially at night (where people can see in, but I can't see out.) Now I manage that fine. Been here 14 years so maybe familiarity with surroundings helps? Or some sort of stranger anxiety compounds things. Moved around a lot growing up Mom havng a marked case of wanderlust. Since being out in the world though I've discovered I'm very change-adverse and like things stable and predictable and unchanging and joke I'm quite happy with the thought of dying right here in a few more decades.

Think a lot of what's going on for many not paralyzingly agoraphobic is simply we're stimulated much more when at a computer and.or tv, and being out represents a seperation from that stimulation. ...Plus of course UV light is bad and there's radiation out there from the Sun.

Rick232 wrote:My mom asked me to go check to see if there was any mail and before I go outside I always check to see if anyone is in their front yards. My neighbors were all outside playing with their kids and things. So i waited to see if they would have a break in all the fun and maybe go inside for a bit. No luck I was waiting for quite some time. My mom got upset and pushed me out of the way to go get the mail herself. I felt bad because I couldn't do a simple favor for her but on the other hand was relieved I didn't have to go outside.

Sounds like my life

I just did it today, I don't get into specifics here fearing that people may know who I am (thanks paranoia ) but I relate with that 100%.

The thing is, whats stopping you (us) from going out? The people or the fact we have to go outside? For me, the people out there make me feel really anxious. I think its really important to isolate those factors and start questioning them. I always assumed Agoraphobia was fear of "having" an attack in public not of people themselves.

Fearing people and what not is much more interlaced with Social anxiety in my experience.

I understand how you feel. Sometimes it feels too far away to check the mail. What I do sometimes is walk outside without looking around and just get the mail. Ignore the surroundings for that brief moment. That is what I do. If your scared someones going to say hello, put in ear buds before you step out that way you have a reason you can hear anything. Sounds not so great but it's my coping skill.

For me, I'm also scared of going outside when there's other people there (neighbors or people from wherever). But, if it's just a quick thing, I can force myself through the stress and fight my thoughts - if it's just to the garbage, say, I can tell myself it's almost over, they don't care about me, they can't even see me, just a few steps away, or distract myself with a tree or something. Then I'm done.

I have to do that mostly just for taking the dogs into the yard, so it's not a very long stretch of time.

Otherwise, I wait until it's night time and people aren't out to do things, if that's an option.

I do the same thing. And then I have the dread that the person will try to talk to me.