@patient2024 I have had many of the same experiences as you described. My own history began with panic attacks that I now realize were related to my marriage. As the problems persisted and became worse over time I developed more phobias. This is what can happen with phobias. They can generalize to other situations and arenas which is what you describe and what I experienced.

There are different ways to address this. I will share what worked for me. I worked with a psychiatrist who prescribed an antidepressant that targeted anxiety. This was in the 1990's so there were not as many good options as exist now. The antidepressant (desipramine) did work for me so I was able to enter more and more situations without fear and avoidance. In retrospect had I found a therapist who specialized in panic disorder and phobias I would have made more progress. I did work with two different therapists at the time and the therapy was ineffective. The reason? They did not target and help me learn to tolerate and accept the anxiety and teach me skills to get through it. I finally did that on my own but it was difficult.

My recommendation to you is to find a therapist who specializes in panic disorder and in phobias. Ask questions at your first sessions on how the therapist will approach your emotions and your experiences. You will talk during your sessions but you should also be assigned homework to help you to address the situations that are frightening to you. If you are willing and interested you could also try one of the newer antidepressants that are approved for anxiety.

Does this help? What would you like to do next?