[HPFGU-OTChatter] Jolly Reindeer Fact

[IggyMcSnurd]

>>Iggy wrote:

>><Ps: Agoraphobic... Isn't that a fear of
>>really soft and fluffy
>>sweaters??>
>
>Saitaina
>Er, no.  It's a fear of people and crowds.
>Added to a fear of judgment and I can't even
>make a call to a store or doctor's office
>without rehearsing it five million times in
>my head (and forget talking to sales
>clerks).,

Iggy here:

*laugh* You wrote it as "ANGORAphobic," not "AGORAphobic"... hence the
question.  (And I wrote it as angora in the quote as well... your
spellchecker may have corrected it or something...)

I know agoraphobia well.  I have severe panic attack disorder, and
agoraphobia becomes a common side effect of it.  When I had my first
onset of the panic attacks, I could barely leave my house for over three
months.  I had to take Xanax and force myself to go anywhere... and even
then it was a trial.  I think the only two reasons I survived the
severity of the was because I had a lot of acting, choir, and speech
training, which teaches you a LOT of techniques for getting over "stage
fright" which, in essence, is pretty similar.  The other one was that I
just refused to let my panic attacks ruin and rule my life.

(As an example of the severity... I had a period of 36 hours straight
where I never got below severe anxiety, and was often in full blown
panic.  My doctor was amazed I hadn't gone completely under from the
mental strain.  My bio-psych professor later told me that he was more
amazed that my heart hasn't popped from the pressure.)

Iggy McSnurd