Agoraphobia and/or Separation Anxiety
Hi, I'm 30 and have returned to college... or tried to. For 4 days until the move, I had such bad anxiety that I cried for hours each day. On the day of the move, I drove to school (only 90 minutes away), went to classes, then had such bad anxiety (rapid pulse, massive crying, intense fear, chest pressure/pain, shaking) that I cancelled all my classes, cancelled my housing, and returned home. (This is not the first time this has happened either... I've always been a homebody.) Even though I wasn't that far from my family and friends, I felt so isolated and alone. Until then, I had been going to the local community college and loved every minute of it. But the distance, moving headaches, and financial stress of going to a university were too much to bear for me. Even typing this has triggered some tears as I recall the experience. I am terrified that I may never venture out on my own. I get hypervigilant when alone at night (like I can't relax enough to sleep) and can't sleep in strange places alone (example: I couldn't even sleep at my aunt's house to babysit her dog for a weekend). I'm very risk-averse and an introvert so I like my quiet time but have trouble making friends and expanding my social network because I'm not a social butterfly. What can I do to break this separation anxiety and become more confident? I don't want to limit my future career prospects because I'm too afraid to travel far from my hometown area. Thanks
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