Trapped in a World That Doesn't Understand: Living with Agoraphobia, Panic Disorder, and Extreme Introversion

 

Imagine waking up every day with a constant, invisible force gripping your chest. The mere thought of stepping outside your door feels like standing at the edge of a cliff, heart racing, lungs refusing to fill, hands clammy with the terror of the unknown. Now, add to that an overwhelming need for solitude—a desperate craving to avoid the noise, the people, the expectations that drain every ounce of energy from your soul. This is my reality. This is what it’s like to live with agoraphobia, panic disorder, and extreme introversion in a world that refuses to understand.

Society loves to throw out quick fixes: "Just go outside more." "You’ll feel better if you socialize." "Push through it." "It’s all in your head."

And let’s not forget the classic: "It’s not that big of a deal."

But let me tell you something—it is a big deal. It’s a battle I fight every single day, a war raging between my mind and my environment, and every dismissive comment only sharpens the blade of anxiety that’s already at my throat.

Agoraphobia and Panic Disorder: The Unseen Cage

Agoraphobia isn’t just about not wanting to leave my house. It’s not laziness, it’s not stubbornness, and it sure as hell isn’t a choice. It’s a deep, paralyzing fear of losing control in public, of being trapped somewhere with no escape, of being humiliated when the panic takes over. And panic disorder? That’s the cruel beast that waits in the shadows, striking without warning, making even the safest places feel like death traps.

"When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy." - Psalm 94:19

I don’t get to decide when my heart will start pounding like it’s about to explode. I don’t get to choose when my vision blurs, my throat closes, or my body convinces me I’m dying. And yet, the world expects me to just "deal with it."

Extreme Introversion: More Than Just Shyness

Then there’s the introversion. Not the "Oh, I like to read books and stay home on Friday nights" kind of introversion, but the extreme kind—the kind that makes every social interaction feel like an exhausting performance. The kind that makes casual small talk feel like running a marathon. The kind that means I need solitude like I need air to breathe, not because I hate people, but because my energy is drained by constant interaction.

And yet, the world demands I be "more social." It scoffs at my need for space, tells me I’m "too quiet," "too reserved," "too weird." People assume I’m rude when I don’t engage the way they want me to. They don’t understand that I’m not ignoring them—I’m surviving them.

Now, Take Away the Only Safety I Knew

Now, take away the only safety and protection I know by him being in prison. I stay inside my 28' trailer, usually in the dark until the late hours, complete silence just listening to the clock tick on my wall, which I never use to tell time, but just to hear the tick of the second hand to stay calm. My world has shrunk to the size of this small space, where I exist more than I live, held together by the rhythm of a clock that no one else notices. The loneliness is deafening, the silence an unwanted companion that both soothes and suffocates me.

The Panic and Anxiety of a Telephone Conversation

As if the weight of daily existence weren’t enough, there is another unseen battle I fight—having a physical telephone conversation. The very thought of answering or making a call sends my anxiety into overdrive. I am far more comfortable communicating through text, Messenger, or email—though even then, I sometimes "go MIA" when I’ve hit my limit. But an actual phone call? It feels like suffocation, like an inescapable confrontation that I’m being forced into against my will.

And yet, friends and family refuse to accept this. They insist that I "need" social interaction, that I should "just answer the phone," that it will somehow help me. But it doesn’t. It only intensifies my anxiety, drains me even further, and pushes me deeper into isolation. They don’t see that forcing social expectations on me does more harm than good. I don’t need the forced interaction—they need to respect my boundaries.

The Damage of Misunderstanding

The worst part of all of this? The misunderstanding doesn’t just hurt—it makes everything worse. When people minimize my struggles, when they dismiss my fears, when they act as though I could simply choose to be different, it amplifies my disorders.

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." - Psalm 34:18

It adds layers of shame to my anxiety. It deepens the self-doubt. It makes the isolation feel suffocating.

If I could "get over it," don’t you think I would? If I could step outside without my heart hammering, without my mind screaming that something terrible will happen, don’t you think I would? If I could be social without feeling like I’m drowning in an ocean of expectations, don’t you think I would?

What I Wish People Knew

I don’t need tough love. I don’t need someone to "fix me." I don’t need someone to drag me outside and force me into situations I can’t handle.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." - Deuteronomy 31:6

What I need is understanding. Compassion. Acknowledgment that my struggles are real, that they are valid, that they are not some dramatic overreaction. I need space to navigate this on my own terms, at my own pace, without the added pressure of meeting the world’s expectations.

If you know someone like me—someone who struggles with agoraphobia, panic disorder, or extreme introversion—please, for the love of everything, stop telling them to "just get over it." Instead, ask them what they do need. Give them the grace to exist as they are. Understand that their world may look different from yours, but that doesn’t make it any less real.

Because the truth is, the world doesn’t get to decide how hard this is for me. The world doesn’t get to define my battles. And the world sure as hell doesn’t get to tell me that I’m not trying hard enough.

I fight every single day. And that? That’s more than enough.

#AgoraphobiaAwareness #MentalHealthMatters #IntrovertLife #PanicDisorderSupport #FaithOverFear #EppersonEmpowerment