Warning Signs That You Have Claustrophobia

1. What Exactly Is Claustrophobia?

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Most people when they think of claustrophobia automatically think 'very small crawl space'. But while claustophobia is a fear of tiny spaces like that, it's a fear of any type of enclosed space - and can often be spaces where other crowds of people make you feel closed in.

2. Is Claustrophobia An Irrational Fear?

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Claustrophobia can be called irrational, because there's nothing to fear about an enclosed space - but that doesn't mean that it feels great to be in one. While it may seem 'irrational', it's the symptoms of claustrophobia that can be tough to deal with, like the sense of dread and panic.

3. Signs Of Claustrophobia: You Always Take The Stairs

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Most people with claustrophobia will tell you that they do not do elevators. Even if the stairs go up to 40 floors, it's likely you'd rather do that than step in a tiny metal box. It doesn't matter if the elevator is empty apart from you, you still won't feel comfortable being in there when the doors close.

4. You Feel Uncomfortable In Tunnels

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Any sort of tunnel is going to make you feel very, very uncomfortable. Even if you can see 'the light at the end of it' (literally, in this case) you're not going to feel okay until you get back out into the light. Your worst nightmare is probably abandoned train tunnels or anything similar.

5. You Really Don't Like The Subway

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The subway holds more than one threat to someone with claustrophobia. This is because not only are you trapped in a steel tube, you're then in a very small tunnel underground, and on top of that, you're most likely crammed in with a whole load of other people, just to top it off.

6. You'd Rather Hold It In Than Use A Public Toilet

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There are certain public toilets that are larger than others, of course, but generally they're all pretty bad. The worst are airplane toilets, or those portable toilets, that leave you absolutely no room to even get in there in the first place. The idea of going to one of these is probably enough to make you hold it in instead.

7. If A Door Has To Be Locked, You Start To Panic

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There's just something about a locked door that sends you into a mode of panic. This can depend on a lot of things: whether you can unlock it from the inside, whether you have the key and whether it's a familiar room. An escape room is probably your worst nightmare.

8. You're Not A Huge Fan Of Cars

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We all know how useful cars are in the everyday, and the chances are you probably don't avoid cars altogether - but that doesn't mean you like them. And especially if it's a tiny, tiny car, you're going to feel very anxious. And if you're in a car with a whole load of people? Nope.

9. Packed Public Transport Is Your Worst Nightmare

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The problem is, if you don't want to cram yourself in a car, the only other alternative of getting around is cramming yourself in public transport. The issue with public transport is if you never know when it's going to be packed, to the point where you can't move or can't breathe...

10. You Can't Stay In Any Room Without A Window

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If you're staying in a hotel, or scouting out a new apartment, a room without a view isn't going to cut it. If you're surrounded by four walls that have not even the tiniest little window, you're going to feel very, very trapped... and that isn't going to make you feel too good.

11. Planes Are A No-No For You

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You can still have claustrophobia and take regular flights - people need to go on vacation, after all. But that doesn't mean you actually like flying. If you're stuck on a metal tube in the sky with a whole bunch of people and those tiny seats, tiny bathrooms and even tiny aisles... this is not good news for you.

12. You're Always Avoiding Situations With Small Spaces

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A sign of a phobia you don't yet know you have is if there are certain situations you always, always avoid, because your anxiety isn't letting you do them. With claustrophobia, you might have noticed you're always avoiding situations - even if you want to do them - that would see you in a very tight space.

13. Pictures Of Spelunking Make You Feel Sick

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You only need to look at photos like this to feel your stomach drop and contemplate whether you're going to puke (and we're sorry for showing it to you, but we had to know). Spelunking (cave exploring) is probably the worst thing a person with claustrophobia can consider.

14. You Avoid Going Out In Busy Peak Times

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This is another one of those avoiding situations things we talked about, which could be because of your phobia. We don't blame you for avoiding going out in peak times, because busy crowds are no fun, but if you purposefully fit your entire schedule around when stores and public places are near-empty, this could be a tell-tale sign.

15. Anything With A Crowd Is A No For You

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And it extends to more than just busy shopping aisles. Any sort of big event that would see you in the middle of a crowd is a no for you. The idea of being around that many people - and particularly in the middle of a crowd like that - makes you feel severely anxious.

16. You've Had Panic Attacks Before

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When you have severe phobias, they can often make you have serious physical reactions, and one of these can be a panic attack. Claustrophobia is a phobia most common for this because if you're in a situation in a tiny, locked room, or a crowd of people, it's very easy to panic.

17. You Have Roiling Butterflies In Your Stomach

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Another common physical reaction can be to have butterflies in your stomach - those sort of anxious, nervous butterflies you feel in situations that make you uncomfortable. With claustrophobia, even just a picture of small spaces or tight situations can make you feel this in your stomach.

18. You Need Open Plan Living

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Open plan living is likely your preferred home style because of the lack of walls. You can't stand the idea of having a tiny kitchen, or a tiny bedroom. Even if your open-plan space is on the smaller side, it's still better than having extra walls closing you in, that's for sure.

19. You Can't Use A Walk-In Shower

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Showers over baths give you a lot more room to work with, and you can easily step in and out. But walk-in showers, especially the tiny ones that only leave enough room for you to stand up straight, can leave you feeling very on edge. You might feel trapped and worried that you won't be able to get out again.

20. You Start Sweating

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Sweating is a common physical reaction to situations that make you feel anxious and uncomfortable. In the case of claustrophobia, because small spaces can make you feel too hot and you start to panic, you may even sweat because you're starting to need fresh, cool air and you suddenly feel too hot.

21. You Start Trembling

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Another physical symptoms of fear is trembling in your hands. Do you find you're trembling in certain situations that could be linked to claustrophobia? Your hands shake and sweat if you have to go on an elevator, or if you find yourself in a busy, packed crowd that you need to get out of?

22. You Can't Share A Bed

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Sharing a bed with a partner is obviously a normal thing to do, but there's no doubt it can get uncomfortable when there's not enough room. Do you start to feel overwhelmed and like you need to escape or throw the covers off you if your partner is too heavy on you, or lying too close? It doesn't need to be a partner, either - it could be a friend you're staying with.

23. Hotel Rooms Need To Be Big

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Budget hotels, like hostel rooms, can be great if you just need a place to crash on the cheap. But for people with claustrophobia, they can be a nightmare. Rooms that are only big enough to fit a tiny bed in that you then need to climb over? You may start to panic in a room like this - or avoid booking it altogether.

24. Camping? You're Going To Need Your Own Tent. A Big One.

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Your claustrophobia might be so bad that you wouldn't even camp to begin with. Even being in your own tent might be enough to put you off. But if you're okay to still camp, you might have noticed that you can only ever cope if you have your own (big) tent, and you're not sharing a cramped space with someone else. You probably avoid a sleeping bag, too.

25. You Get A Detached Feeling From Your Body

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A lot of phobias can leave you panicking and having a sort of 'out of body' experience because your mind and emotions are in overdrive. When you're in an extreme situation of claustrophobia - say you were stuck in a broken-down elevator alone - you might start to feel detached from yourself.

26. You Fear Losing Control

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Claustrophobia can be a lot about the idea of control. If you feel like you've lost control, that's when the panic can set in. A locked door takes the control away from you, because you can't get out. Small spaces may leave you thinking you can get trapped without any control over it.

27. You Think You're Going To Die In Crowded Situations

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A crowd rush is probably the worst fear for someone with claustrophobia - and this is where the 'irrational' debate can come in, because people can (and have) died from being trampled or crushed. But even in a safe crowd situation (like a busy shopping mall) you might still feel a sense of impending doom.

28. You'd Never Go To A Gig Or Festival

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With this in mind, festivals and gigs likely don't appeal to you - because you know how busy there'll be with crowds of people. And even though concerts and festivals are controlled with people in attendance, and have security, the idea of it is something that gives you anxiety.

29. You've Had A Traumatic Event That Involved A Closed Space

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A lot of phobias can manifest from a very traumatic experience, likely in childhood. So if you have an event in your past of being locked or trapped in a small space - maybe someone locked you in a closet, or you were locked in a hot car - this might manifest in later years as claustrophobia.

30. You've Had A Bad Experience With Broken-Down Public Transport

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It could also be the case that you've had a bad experience where public transport broke down. This can be one of the worst in terms of control and being trapped - you don't know when the train is going to start again, or when the plane is going to set off. Meanwhile, you're trapped and surrounded by a bunch of people. Does this sound like you?