Am I gonna screw up my kid by not going out?

Your baby is really young. You have plenty of time to get a handle on this and get this under control before it affects them. I had my eldest at the start of the first lockdown so we obviously didn't go out much. My whole maternity leave was in and out of lockdown. He's fine and thriving at school! You obviously need to get help, but you have so much time before this will affect your baby in the slightest. You can do it! Xx

It's looking like a lifelong condition now. I had it for a few months several years ago and completely recovered but then in 2022 it made a comeback and I got it semi under control while I was pregnant so I could go out and do stuff but I couldn't eat out and stuff. Since having her I've done a few days camping a couple months ago but suddenly it's all gone south drastically and I can't even do a few minutes outside without panicking. I'm gonna try and get a doctors appointment on tuesday but it's just gonna be CBT again which doesn't work for me :(

I didn’t go out alone with my baby for ages to start with. Be kind to yourself - you’re doing the best you can and going to the DRs is definitely a good step! Your baby is still young like Caroline says, so I really wouldn’t beat yourself up 💓

They will probably offer medication. My husband has a panic disorder. He's having therapy, can't get CBT on NHS for him due to complex past but he's also on pregabolin and escitralopram. It works ok he still has some off days. He was also at a point he couldn't go outside due to being scared of having a panic attack. Take things slow as well. Don't do it in a big rush. Try standing in your door step and work towards going around the block. You're doing fine. A diary helps my husband massively as he can look back and see how far he's come.

Try emdr therapy or talk therapy. See if medication for anxiety like escitalopram can be beneficial to you. Try exposure therapy. But thing is you gotta figure out your trigger and the cause of this. Is something in your life bothering you like your family or relationships or work or school or house etc. I had something similar at one point although maybe not to the same extent and as soon as I was done with masters degree while working full time (huge stressor apparently) everything went super well. I was very skeptical to medication and felt like I was failing myself for trying it out but I had it at 10mg (low dosage) for 9 months, had weekly therapy and did lots of self exploration and compassion and now I’m much better and can eat out and so spontaneous trips even when I’m stressed out like I am now with the baby. You can do this!! You’ve done this before, it ebbs and flows, some days will be worse than others but lifelong condition doesn’t mean you’ll never go outside again.

Just means some days will be better, some days might be not

No, you’re really not! Try going to your friends houses or get your friends to come round, something that feels comfortable for you. Since having a baby I HATE going out and try to avoid it unless I fancy going out or push myself - then I’m glad I have 9 times out of 10. When they get a bit older socialisation is important for toddlers, but play groups and nursery’s can help with that.

Considering you still leave house to drive, you try things, did camping - these are all very very good signs! You’re probably just very stressed out and maybe you feel like you’re drowning so you gotta figure out what your “arm floaties” will be: what will help you push through? Pep talk? Affirmations? Just ripping the band aid off? Reminding to breathe? Medication? To me it was medication unfortunately or fortunately

I've done medication before, one caused seizures for years, one triggered panic attacks, one just made me pile on weight and made my pain issues worse, that and breastfeeding makes me not wanna do medication again. I know it's the only way really but it's just more anxiety for me 😫 I just want it all to stop

Sorry, I'm very overwhelmed and having a menty b so replies are difficult. Talk therapy just doesn't do it for me because they start saying stupid stuff that doesn't work with autism at all. Exposure therapy I've been working on for years but it doesn't have much effect beyond a certain point We haven't discovered a trigger, I've always been introverted and nothing specific happened before all of it, if anything then I was happier than ever. I have 2 friends round every week for me to do them dinner but I can't go round anyone elses. I genuinely want to go out because I like looking at stuff and exploring and doing something. I even miss working because I used to do something all day but I just can't work anymore. I didn't drive, my mum did. Not going out wasn't an option that day. Camping was fine for a completely unknown reason. I'm stressed because I can't do anything and it's all impossible and we're surviving off on one income because I can't work. No arm floaties have been found so far sadly 😕