All I want to do is stay home. ALL THE TIME.

[SavedBythePen]

Over the last two or three months, I've been very hesitant to leave my house. I've turned down invitations by friends to go places, and I've begun to dread school because it means leaving home. I find it frustrating because I used to enjoy hanging out with friends and even attending school. Now, I'm disliking leaving my house for any reason at all. I feel very anxious and I cannot wait until I arrive home. The only time I feel fine about leaving is when my parents take us out for a family outing.

I don't think I'm depressed. I don't feel hopeless, sad, or lonely. I feel fine. Even when I am at school or somewhere else. I just feel an overwhelming anxiety. I'd like to say that maybe it's an internet addiction, as I'm sure I've gotten close to having one in the past, but I now, I don't even go on the internet much. Whenever I'm home, I spend most of my time drawing, writing, and watching TV. I'll go on the internet, but not for extended periods of time.

I wonder if I'm just in the doldrums or it could be something. All I know is I really, really don't want to leave home. The only desire I have now is to stay home every day. My parents give me an ample amount of freedom, and I don't know why I choose not to use it.

Anyone have any advice?

[Chris.]

I think that you are just one of those people who just doesnt want to go out. I have been in the same situation. Some months I will go out every single day, other months or times I will just stay home for very long periods of time. I dont really have a forrsure reason why we tend to sometimes stay home. Alot of the time I just like to do my own thing and not be bothered; and other times I want to be out getting crazy! But I do have a bestfriend that never goes out, and thats how he likes it. He would rather stay at home and chill, even if its boring. Then I have a few friends who are never home, not even on school nights. So I think its just how some people are and feel comfortable with.

[escape_thereal_world]

Hey Belle!
I'm going to move this to the Anxiety sub-forum. This seems more anxiety based and I think you will get some better replies there.

Are you okay with staying home? If you aren't maybe try to make yourself go out and do something you KNOW you love. If that's too hard to do, maybe try inviting a friend over instead. I find this helps me quite a bit. Then once they are here, I feel better and want to go out.

[PSY]

Can you think of anything in particular that might trigger your feelings of anxiety? Is there anything in particular that is going through your mind (aside from "I want to be at home") when you're feeling anxious? There could be a number of mental illnesses that relate to feelings of anxiety. Some focus on general anxiety, others focus on social situations, and still others focus on a fear of rejection/failure. I would take some time to really "tune in" when you're experiencing anxiety and ask yourself, "Why am I feeling this way? What is going on right now that could be causing me to feel this way? What can I try right now that might relieve the anxiety?" Keep track of what you're thinking about, what attempts you make to relieve the anxiety, and how you feel afterward. Hopefully, you'll begin to see a pattern and will be able to go from there on your own. If not, it couldn't hurt to talk to your doctor and ask for a referral to a psychological professional who specializes in anxiety disorders.

[SavedBythePen]

Originally Posted by PSY

Can you think of anything in particular that might trigger your feelings of anxiety? Is there anything in particular that is going through your mind (aside from "I want to be at home") when you're feeling anxious? There could be a number of mental illnesses that relate to feelings of anxiety. Some focus on general anxiety, others focus on social situations, and still others focus on a fear of rejection/failure. I would take some time to really "tune in" when you're experiencing anxiety and ask yourself, "Why am I feeling this way? What is going on right now that could be causing me to feel this way? What can I try right now that might relieve the anxiety?" Keep track of what you're thinking about, what attempts you make to relieve the anxiety, and how you feel afterward. Hopefully, you'll begin to see a pattern and will be able to go from there on your own. If not, it couldn't hurt to talk to your doctor and ask for a referral to a psychological professional who specializes in anxiety disorders.

Well, I've been attending therapy for a phobia. I was born with a bit of sound sensitivity and I've developed a phobia for sudden loud noises (dogs barking, thunder, balloons popping). It's only terrible when I know it's coming to me (waiting for a fire drill, thunderstorms, watching someone pop a balloon), so I'm sure this isn't the reason. I've had this phobia since I was a child, but it never stopped me from functioning. However, I've also been diagnosed with slight GAD, as I do tend to worry about a lot of things.

I've started thinking about why I wanted to stay at home all the time the past few nights, and I've concluded:

The reason I like to stay home all the time is that lately, I've been really attached to being around my parents. I'm confused, as I'm 17, and I haven't dealt with this behavior since I was probably in the 2nd grade. The reason I don't like leaving the house and going to school is because I won't be around my parents. This is probably why I don't mind leaving the house if it means my mom is taking me shopping, or we're going on a family outing.

I have no idea why I'm suddenly feeling so attached to my parents. I'm allowed an ample amount of freedom, and I've been doing fine with being a bit more independent from them since I've gotten older and gained that freedom. But now whenever I go to school or somewhere else without my parents, all I think about the entire time is wanting to be home with them. I feel a tinge of anxiety until I walk in through the door when I get home.

So far, I can't think of anything traumatizing that's happened. My life is pretty lukewarm when it comes to events, so I'm pretty lucky to say that nothing horrible has ever happened in my life.

Besides that...I can't really find the root of the anxiety.