Long held phobia of leaving the house, iin?
For a very long time, I have had a crippling fear of leaving my home. The fear started in my childhood until it gradually worsened over the years. There was one point, where I was even paranoid about being seen by neighbors inside my home and out on my property.
I am an adult now and I rarely leave my house. I stopped having a "social life" many years ago. I only leave my house for important things like going to the grocery store or for doctors appointments.
The main reason why I was so scared to leave my house was because I felt as if I didn't have the right to do so. I was scared that if I did leave my house to walk around the area that many bad things would happen. These things were; 1. That the neighbors wouldn't know who I was and that they would call the police if they saw me, 2. That I would get arrested in general for coming off as an unfamiliar character, 3. That I would forget who I was or where I was going and get lost. (etc.)
I didn't realize how serious this was nor how unreasonable I was being until I told my therapist about this. She thinks that me being so isolated is unhealthy and I am starting to agree with her.
Realizing that I have a problem has made me realize just how much that I have missing out on life. I have also realized that this type of behavior is extremely unhealthy. Despite knowing these facts, I somehow feel as thought the severity of the situation hasn't even really been penetrating deeply. I really would like to leave my house especially, since the climate is getting warmer. I have been given opportunities to leave the house and walk to a nearby relative's home but, I somehow have ended up never doing this.
What should I do about this?