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There is really very little that is humorous about panic disorder and agoraphobia, yet I feel that if you think back, chances are you'll recall to mind an incident which made you smile or laugh once the fears had abated. Share your anecdote(s) with others as well as myself. Help put a little laughter into our lives, for as you all know, Laughter IS The Best Medicine! JANET.... One of the tools I used in recovery was desensitization. My goal was to buy something from a nearby variety store. My husband and I would practice faithfully by going a little further up our street every night until we reached the corner. There was no sidewalk beyond the corner. I was afraid of the passing traffic along the highway so we would cut through a deserted parking lot. I had finally made it to the store and could look in the window. We had at least a foot of accumulated snow on the ground from previous storms. Then we had a big snow storm that put down another foot. Despite the snow, I still wanted to go to the store. I was concerned that if I canceled practice I might regress. My husband wasn't thrilled about the idea but he agreed. We walked in the road on our street because the sidewalks weren't plowed. We both dreaded trudging through the parking lot that by now would have a total of two feet of snow. But my husband knew that there was no way would I walk along the highway. When we turned the corner, we saw four pairs of footprints in the abandoned parking lot; two pair going to the store and two pair coming back. My bewildered husband looked at the tracks and in amazement declared, "Well, do believe that! There's another agoraphobic in town!" BETTY.... I took a vacation day from work and planned to spend it with my three children. We decided to go to the movies and see Pocohontas. I was feeling anxious about the movies but decided not to let the fear hold me back. We went, bought the tickets, got our seats and then the panic set in.Boy, was I feeling nervous and on the verge of a panic attack. There was a thunder storm brewing outside when we arrived and shortly after the movie started and my panic set in, I could hear the rain and thunder outside. I sat there frozen in fear as my panic mounted and just as I thought I was really going to have a major panic attack,BOOM...thunder struck and with another BOOM, the electricity(lights/movie) went out! I could not believe what happened...after all,here was the perfect excuse...fight or flight and I had the opportunity for flight at that very moment. Boy, did God take care of me, I thought. A few minutes went by and everyone started getting up to leave. The manager announced they would refund tickets at the front counter. I stood up,extremely relieved and announced to my three children that I guess we had to leave because the storm knocked out all the electricity. My kids were really bummed out but I have never felt such joy and such relief in my whole life.That incident was three years ago and when I think of it,I get a good chuckle. I also see how God does answer our prayers.It's incredible to me that the very moment I started to really feel my panic attack coming on, the theater went dead and so did my panic attack. Last week I took my kids to the movies for the first time since the Pocohontas-storm incident. I was reminded of the storm and cancelled movie and it really helped my anxiety this time. It helped me to laugh and to lighten up. I agree Eileen, laughter is good medicine! CMcke.... Once leaving work in a very classy area of London near to USA Embassy, I noticed everyone was staring at me. I had already been told that day that I looked exceptionally attractive and guessed people were admiring my beauty! But the panic began and I was glad to reach the familiar bus stop with the usual people at the same time each day. Imagine my panic when a friendly face whispered in my ear that my dress was, inadvertantly, tucked into my pants... Sharon.... This did not happen to me but to another woman who suffers from panic disorder. She recently went to her doctor for her panic disorder. He told her she was a very strong person...she was the type of woman who could have come across the US in a covered wagon! Then he told her she suffered from the "White Woman's Syndrome. Get yourself together and get over it!".I am not so sure this is funny. There are a lot of doctors who really need to be educated about panic disorder,but this is the worst explanation I ever heard of.. Sharon.... A friend of mine with panic disorder went to the grocery store and she was in such a hurry to get out and get through that she went to the checkout with a cart full of icing sugar, which was a sale item. She did not find out until she was already in the checkout. She did not even know where she had left her cart! Jeannie... Whenever I have anxiety,I get very warm and the warmer I get, the more anxiety I would have. Whenever I used to try to do some grocery shopping,the first thing I would do when I got into the store was to go for a big,frozen turkey. I would carry that frozen turkey all around the store in my arms to keep me cool and to keep the anxiety down. When it was time to check out, that poor frozen turkey would go back into the frozen case. When I think back now I do have to laugh. I can not imagine what people must have been thinking, seeing this woman walking around carrying a big frozen turkey and wheeling an almost empty cart. My poor arms would ache for the next couple of days, but it was worth every turkey pound that I carried.   
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