I wrote a post about Claustrophobia a while ago. I literally only just deleted it because I thought it was too rushed. So I thought I would re-write it but this time I will put a lot more thought into it, take my time and also include more on what it feels like and having it myself etc.
What is Claustrophobia?
Claustrophobia is defined as an extreme fear of confined/enclosed spaces and being closed in. It is an anxiety disorder and can cause panic attacks. People who suffer often cause the person to avoid taking part in many events where they know it will be crowded. This also cause them to avoid public transportation. The levels of Claustrophobia vary.
I suffer with Claustrophobia. The main place where my anxiety occurs is in elevators (lifts) but it occurs whenever I have to take public transport too, such as trains. If there is an option of the stairs or going in an elevator, I always pick the stairs. No matter who many flights of stairs I have to go up. Having Claustrophobia is horrible, you are unable to breath, you feel the walls are closing in, you are unable to escape, you have high levels of fear and anxiety. You feel like you can't escape from it.
Having Claustrophobia can be extremely hard for a lot of people. It can severely limit your life, causing you to miss out on a lot of things, that you would otherwise enjoy. For example missing out at music festivals due to it being extremely crowded, missing out on going on holiday because you may refuse to sit on a confined airplane for however many hours next to a load of strangers. You can miss out on a lot of amazing opportunities that you may not get to experience ever again. Usually, when a sufferer of Claustrophobia enters any room really, they will instantly look for the exits. They do this because if they feel fairly anxious when they walk in the room they will want to know where each exit is just in case they start to panic. When they start to panic and feel scared its good to know where the exits are so it will be easy to escape. This is a very good idea in my opinion. If you come out of your comfort zone for once and you decide to attend something you had no intention of going to before because of your Claustrophobia, then looking for the exits first is something you should definitely do if you feel uncomfortable.
Luckily, my Claustrophobia isn't extreme. However, it isn't mild either. My Claustrophobia is somewhere in the middle. In places such as elevators they are the worst for me. My Claustrophobia is at it's highest whenever I am in an elevator and its not good that I also have a fear of elevators too. Not only that but I get very anxious in very crowded places too.
Just a few places where people usually get Claustrophobia are:
Elevators (lifts)
Basements
Crowded areas
Room with no windows
Attics
Small rooms
Subway trains (the tube)
Tunnels
and more
Symptoms that usually occur:
Sweating
Accelerated heart rate
Panics attacks
Hyperventilating (over breathing)
Dizziness
Dry mouth
Hot flushes
Light - headedness
Headache
Fainting
and more
Doctors say that they haven't actually found the real cause for Claustrophobia but they do say that for some people it may be linked to a past (childhood) experience with small confined rooms.
Well, overall Claustrophobia is just horrible really. No-one should have to suffer with it.
If Claustrophobia really effects your day-to-day life you should try and see a psychologist or a psychiatrist. They will really help if you suffer extremely bad from it
Do you have Claustrophobia?
Emily xx
Having Claustrophobia can be extremely hard for a lot of people. It can severely limit your life, causing you to miss out on a lot of things, that you would otherwise enjoy. For example missing out at music festivals due to it being extremely crowded, missing out on going on holiday because you may refuse to sit on a confined airplane for however many hours next to a load of strangers. You can miss out on a lot of amazing opportunities that you may not get to experience ever again. Usually, when a sufferer of Claustrophobia enters any room really, they will instantly look for the exits. They do this because if they feel fairly anxious when they walk in the room they will want to know where each exit is just in case they start to panic. When they start to panic and feel scared its good to know where the exits are so it will be easy to escape. This is a very good idea in my opinion. If you come out of your comfort zone for once and you decide to attend something you had no intention of going to before because of your Claustrophobia, then looking for the exits first is something you should definitely do if you feel uncomfortable.
Luckily, my Claustrophobia isn't extreme. However, it isn't mild either. My Claustrophobia is somewhere in the middle. In places such as elevators they are the worst for me. My Claustrophobia is at it's highest whenever I am in an elevator and its not good that I also have a fear of elevators too. Not only that but I get very anxious in very crowded places too.
Just a few places where people usually get Claustrophobia are:
Elevators (lifts)
Basements
Crowded areas
Room with no windows
Attics
Small rooms
Subway trains (the tube)
Tunnels
and more
Symptoms that usually occur:
Sweating
Accelerated heart rate
Panics attacks
Hyperventilating (over breathing)
Dizziness
Dry mouth
Hot flushes
Light - headedness
Headache
Fainting
and more
Doctors say that they haven't actually found the real cause for Claustrophobia but they do say that for some people it may be linked to a past (childhood) experience with small confined rooms.
Well, overall Claustrophobia is just horrible really. No-one should have to suffer with it.
If Claustrophobia really effects your day-to-day life you should try and see a psychologist or a psychiatrist. They will really help if you suffer extremely bad from it
Do you have Claustrophobia?
Emily xx
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