Re: Crowds and panic attacks...

[Guest guest]

I thought building codes everywhere required railings when there were 3 or more

steps involved.....? Falling in public can zap the fun right out of the

situation, especially if you get hurt. I can empathize with you on that one

! I'd have been stranded there without railings if I didn't have help!

When faced with having to go to public places like this, do any of you get

nervous and fearful wondering " are there stairs? " , " are there railings? " , " can I

park close to the establishment? " , " are the floors sloping? " ?

I've come close to feeling like I was having a panic attack when faced with

having to go to an outing with work collegues at a venue in downtown Atlanta a

few years ago, (I would have been driving alone and meeting them there and most

of them I did not know and did not feel comfortable asking them for help getting

around).

I ended up not going at the last minute due to extreme fear of not being able to

get around once I got there, and I missed out on a great time. I was so scared

that I'd get there and either not be able to park close, not be able to manuever

with stairs or ramps or that I'd have a difficult time getting through the crowd

and that I'd fall and not be able to get up, or worse, that I'd wind up hurt.

My fear shut me right down and I still regret not going and not having the

mental strength to find a way to do it. I think that had I gone and had it all

turned out ok I would have felt mentally stronger and more capable.

How have any of you overcome this type of fear when faced with new and

challenging outings?

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