Have you ever experienced claustrophobia or an anxiety attack?

Here are the symptoms:

• Sweaty
• can’t breath
• anxious
• freaking out
• trapped
• can’t move
• An internal bomb goes off. I’m screaming inside. I feel like I need to get out!!! A panic bomb.

Do you miss out on events, like going to a concert or meeting your family at the mall or a restaurant? Because maybe it’s outside and its winter and it might be too cold. What if I don’t sit in an aisle seat and I have to bother people if I have to get up and move? Or you can’t drive because you’re afraid to get stuck on the freeway in traffic. What if there’s a complete stop and you can’t move?

If there is something going on in your body,  it’s usually sourcing from something going on in your head, your heart or your soul long before it manifests in your body as an illness or health condition.

Usually if there’s something going on in your body, it’s a metaphor. Your physical condition is a metaphor for what’s going on in your life.

So let’s say you’re someone who freaks out about traffic. It’s okay as long as you’re making progress, even if it’s slow, but not it stops. Or you don’t like sitting in a crowded audience. It’s ok if you can choose where you sit and there’s an exit, but not if the people are trapping you and you can’t get out.

What’s happening is the traffic isn’t bothering you. People in your life are not bothering you. What’s bothering you is that these things are stopping your progress and trapping you. The claustrophobia means, “I’ve stopped making progress and I’m trapped.”

Anything can do this to you, not just traffic or sitting in a crowded audience. Marriage can do this to you. A 9 to 5 job. A mortgage. Having your first child. Having your second child. Having your third child. Being diagnosed with an illness.

Claustrophobia is about BEING TRAPPED or feeling trapped. 

I know a few special ops— like Navy Seals or Rangers who have claustrophobia when they’re not on a mission. They’re always doing a million things at once, in constant motion. Even if they’re running in circles, as long as they’re moving— they’re okay. The moment they fall in love…. they freak out!!! Because love stops you and traps you. Love… brings you to your knees.

So emotions can also trigger claustrophobia. This is a natural reaction to a loss of freedom. You’ve all heard the phrase, “Freedom is not free.” Freedom is all in your head. No one is trapping you or stopping you. But you’re convinced that you’re trapped.

Okay. You’re not actually trapped. You’re on the fence. The moment you make a decision to have “more” in your life, you get on this fence…. you see that the grass is greener on the other side… and the moment you leap, you panic! Just like a bungee jumper. Huh!!! I wanted to fly, but now that I’m on the bridge… that solid boring lump of concrete looks safer.

When you chose to get on the freeway, to move forward in your life, to have more friends and go to concerts, to fall in love and get married… you decided to get on the other side of the fence where the grass is greener.

And you realize now, that it’s a trade-off. You made a trade. You traded one thing for another. You gained in one area and you lost in another. You lost A and gained B. You gained B and lost A.

You did this big great move to get to the other side of the fence and now you realize that the grass is not greener here—- it’s just a different type of grass. You used to be trapped by income, now you’re trapped by unemployment— and you didn’t escape being trapped—- you only CHANGED YOUR CAGE. You swapped cages.

You wanted a change. You wanted new scenery. You got it! But now, You want to go back and have both. You’re moving from one side of the fence to the other, from side to side, but not FORWARD.

Your claustrophobia is realizing what’ you’re doing. That you’re literally going in circles or going side to side— but you’re not actually making progress. So when you look at traffic or sit in a crowded audience, it’s a metaphor, reminding you of your own direction in life. That you’re not really going anywhere, just because you swapped cages. You’re TRAPPED.

Here’s the solution: If you’re on one side of the fence, you have to accept where you’re at. Accept your choice to be on this side of the fence. And STOP longing for what you JUST had. What you just LEFT. If you wanted to be on this side of the fence, then stay on this side of the fence. And gradually build what you want FROM THIS side of the fence.

1. What do you want?
2. Which side do you want to start on? A or B?
3. Stay on your side. Don’t go anywhere.
4. Build what you don’t have from your side of the fence. If you’re on side A, grow it into B. If you’re on side B, grow it into A.

Start somewhere…. and build from there!

How to deal with your claustrophobia!