Unfiltered Story #216078

(I have mild agoraphobia. It makes me uncomfortable to be outside, but I have to take public transportation to go to work. To distract myself, I listen to music on my headphones. One day, even this doesn’t stop my anxiety, so I read an article on my phone while I walk down the street. trying to calm myself. This causes me to misjudge a step and catch my foot on a piece of sidewalk sticking up. My other foot moves forward to catch myself, but it gets caught too and I end up falling first on my knees, then on my hands. It is a hard fall, I knock myself into a daze. Then my brain seems to reboot and my agoraphobia kicks. I’m on the floor on my belly, in a strange place! I try to get up, but I’m still very dazed so I can’t. I half crawl to the grass and just sit there. My knees feel like someone took a sledgehammer to them, my hands are bleeding, and my phone and Ipod are broken. I’m trying not to cry like a baby because I don’t want to seem even more vulnerable… I figure that I’ll just get up when my knees stop hurting, which I hope will be soon. I check them and they don’t seem to be broken but they are swelling up quickly . Then a car stops. I nearly go into a panic, thinking it is some muggers, and a voice calls out to me.)

Lady: “EXCUSE ME, ARE YOU OK?”

Me: *still dazed* “Huh??”

Lady: “We saw you fall from down the street! Are you okay?!”

(I squeak out a yeah, even though that’s not true. I’m feeling very scared and alone, but at the same time wishing they would leave, and finally they do. I limp all the way home and luckily, recovered from my injuries. My mental state took longer though. But I think of those ladies who tried to help and that helps. I never got a chance to thank them for trying to help. Also, don’t walk around outside foolishly like I did. It hurts.)