Having trouble leaving my house.

[Steel Maiden]

For the past several weeks, I've been having great trouble leaving my house unless I really have to. It got to the point where I was eating warmed up frozen peas for dinner and ordering online shopping because I couldn't even go to the Co-op a two minute walk away.

The main reasons are:
1. Sensory overload issues - the daylight is too much (I close my curtains during the day) and being around people, cars etc. just overloads me and I have a meltdown (I ended up kicking a wall repeatedly and shouting swear words in public recently during one).

2. Paranoia and voices - I feel so scared of the public's intentions, the Spies outside, what the voices are saying about the dangers of going outside.

When I go outside, I feel terrified. But when I am at home, I end up feeling physically awful, because I am naturally an active person and I need exercise to feel normal.

Can anyone offer me advice? I want to go to the gym tomorrow, but last time I went, the loud music playing gave me sensory overload, which triggered a partial seizure, which led to me falling off a machine...

[Wonderland.]

I'm sorry to hear that you are struggling with this.

Would wearing some sunglasses or tinted glass, help tamp down some of the sensory overload - especially the sun?

Also I find listening to music through ear phones helps reduce the impact of the voices and it may also help distract you from everything that is going on around you.

[Steel Maiden]

Good ideas.

I managed to go outside today. Headphones helped.

Sunglasses = good, I wore my prescription ones today and they helped.

I don't have anyone to take me to the gym. But I could contact a trainer at the gym to do a session with me. Although I'm really unfit atm.

Tomorrow my support worker is taking me to Morden, which is going to help, but she's taking me by bus, for exposure, which I'm not looking forward to.