Who is Claustrophobic like me?
I just met a lady who is claustrophobic just like me. We could totally relate to each other. She said her friends just can’t understand. I do completely.
I can’t sit in a booth at a restaurant unless I’m on the outside/end seat.
I can’t be in an elevator with too many people. I’ve actually told people “All full” and closed the doors.
I once had to sit by the window on an airplane … sounds great … but the two people next to me were on the larger size and I felt trapped. I had to close my eyes and tell myself that there was air all around me. Luckily it was only an hour flight. The moment the plane landed I was asking them, more like telling them, that I had to get out and into the aisle.
Going to the dentist is tough too. I can’t have any of those guards in my mouth or the dentist’s hand covering my nose too much or I feel like I can’t breathe. Well, I mean, there is air … but I just can’t handle it.
When I watch race car drivers put all of that head gear on with a helmet and be in a small tight space driving the car … I take a deep breathe. No, just plain no.
The lady I met was the same way. Exactly.
So, what makes me so claustrophobic? I always had the thought that maybe someone strangled me in a past life. It’s hard to even imagine being under water with a mask on, like when I see deep sea divers on TV. Another possibility is that I drowned in a past life. Which brings me to this - When I was little, like 2 or 3 years old, I reached for a ball in a relative’s pool. I fell in and started sinking. I couldn’t swim. I remember seeing my air bubbles as I sank down to the bottom. My Dad dove in and got me. Could that be a reason?
The official definition of being “Claustrophobic” -
adjective – (of a person) having an extreme or irrational fear of confined places.
noun – a person with an extreme or irrational fear of confined spaces.
I take issue with the word irrational as that means not logical or reasonable. I literally can not help that I am this way. I just am.
Look up “why are people claustrophobic”? and you get this – “Claustrophobia is often caused by a traumatic event experienced during early childhood.” But I don’t remember the pool incident as traumatic. Maybe it was and I just don’t remember.
About 12.5% of the population has it. source
At least I’m not alone out here in my claustrophobia world.
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Thanks for reading! Karen