Demophobia

Today is Boxing Day (Canada's equivalent of Black Friday for my US friends). I'm not a big fan of Boxing Day. Don't get me wrong. I love the sales. But when you have demophobia, it's really not the best day of the year for you.

Demophobia - the fear of crowds. Yup. I hate crowds. I get anxiety when it comes to crowded places. My heart starts pounding and my breathe becomes short. I hate crowds.

It's also why I don't like going to sporting events, or concerts, or movies on opening day. I panic about finding parking, then I panic about standing in line, and then I panic about finding my seat. Finally, when I'm seated, I can relax. I know. You laugh. It's strange.

I never had demophobia when I was a kid. Or I could have and am only now old enough to realize what it is. I have figured out ways around it. For example, if I go to a hockey game, I go extremely early and wait for others to leave before me. It's like having an food allergy. You learn to eat alternatives and don't let the allergy rule your life. I'm getting better at living with demophobia. Like today. I braved the mall. Okay, so it wasn't the biggest mall in the city. It was one of those neighbourhood malls with 50 shops. But I did it and I'm proud of myself. Maybe next Boxing Day, I'll hit up a mall with 100 stores! For now, I'll stick to online shopping.