I was Agoraphobic and Didn’t Know it.

When I think of agoraphobic people I think of someone who is afraid to leave the house and typically chooses to stay in side because of deep seated fears. I recently heard a different definition stating that agoraphobic people don’t leave the house alone because they are afraid a medical event might happen. I realized both parts of that applied to me.
When I still lived with my parents I thought I didn’t like going to the grocery store and I pretty much didn’t have to go because my mom would. After I moved out I found that I only wanted to go shopping with my partner. I didn’t think it was a problem until the year I was working from home all day and he was 9–5ing it and grocery shopping fell to me with the more obvious flexible time. I found neighbors to go grocery shopping with me, I eventually found out one of whom was a liar the other a murderer. Usually I’d wait until Bryan would get home and we’d go together.
The medical event wasn’t so much on my mind, but I had felt like I wasn’t in as good of health as the average person. Let’s not forget how many people and germs are at the grocery store, not my favorite place.
It wasn’t until my partner and I had puppy babies and one of us needed to stay with them that I started solo grocery shopping and breaking out of my cocoon of needing a grocery store escort. I now can confidently shop alone. It has a lot to do with knowing what food choices affect my health, belly, and make me feel better than the processed garbage I’d been spooning in most of my life. I am now empowered by healthy, fresh food choices in the grocery store, and am not afraid to go it alone.