Overcoming agoraphobia is often approached in completely the wrong way.
In some cases, this delays someone's recovery by months and even years.
The biggest problem is the misconception that agoraphobia is no different to any other mental illness, and so psychologists and books will often suggest traditional treatments - things like psychoanalysis, where you look into your own past for potential causes of your agoraphobia; cognitive behavioral therapy, where you're told to adjust the way you control your own thoughts; and even basic "positive thinking," where you're told to "think" your way happy.
But the truth is, these approaches rarely work.
In fact, in those people who've successfully overcome agoraphobia, these methods are rarely responsible.
The vital thing to understand is that agoraphobia is not the root-cause of your problem.
And because it's not the root-cause of your problem, addressing the agoraphobia itself will prove ineffective in almost all cases; the best this will do is temporarily mask your symptoms.
The true root-cause of your agoraphobia is the anxiety you experience 24/7.
This may be based on another form of panic disorder, such as generalized anxiety disorder, health anxiety (or hypochondria), social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or even a severe phobia of anything.
Or your anxiety may be non-specific and seem random to you.
Whatever the case, it is your anxiety that needs to be addressed, and not the agoraphobia itself.
So the first step in overcoming agoraphobia is uncovering its true cause.
Once you've successfully achieved that, you'll be in a much better position, mentally and physically, to begin to work at beating it.
In the majority of cases, the cause will be one of the anxiety and panic disorders I mentioned above.
And the good news is that those are generally more easy to successfully treat than agoraphobia itself.
The best approaches to beating any anxiety or panic disorder is to search for those activities and pastimes that calm you, and to concentrate on doing those as often as possible.
Any time you can give your mind a break from the constant anxiety you normally experience your body will appreciate it, and your anxiety will decrease.
It would also be a great idea to cut back on all foods and drinks with "stimulant" qualities.
The obvious ones are caffeine, chocolate, carbonated drinks, and sugar.
So avoid those whenever you can! The important thing to remember is that your agoraphobia has an underlying cause.
The key to quickly overcoming agoraphobia is to find that underlying cause, and then to focus all your attention on beating it.