@butterfly246 The member who started this Discussion isn't active but your post has now made this Discussion active again. Welcome to this support group.

Like you I had my first panic attack when I was on a plane. I was about 40 years old, same as you, at the time. Then I had another panic attack while I was a passenger in a car on a highway. My husband (now my ex) was the driver. My panic attacks generalized quickly after that and while I was often afraid to venture out I did so. I was a student at the time and had a research fellowship. As I look back I managed to find an excellent psychiatrist who prescribed medication that worked for me and I met with him weekly for psychotherapy. In retrospect I realize that the panic attacks were the result of a disintegrating marriage. It took me a long time to figure out the best way forward for myself. My progress was slow but with therapy, opportunities for exposure, meds, and lifestyle changes I managed to get back on a plane, on my own, within a few years of the original panic attack.

You are doing everything you can and I know you will continue to make progress. And yes, the best way to manage fear is allow yourself to move toward what you fear. Avoidance makes anxiety worse. I still get periods of anxiety although I haven't had a panic attack in many years. I've learned to take the fear and anxiety with me and that trying to avoid or pushing anxiety away takes effort away from progress.

Are you now able to get out more and do the things you want to do in your community?