There are simply some crowd situations I cannot do and won't even try to do anymore ... Shopping, unfortunately, isn't one of those, so what I do when I'm feeling it there is to try to go shopping when the stores are less crowded ... Or I'll go ahead and go during regular times while gently reminding myself that if it gets to be too much I can always leave and come back later ... Other times, I go in with a laser focus, rush through, grab what I need, pay for it and get the heck outta dodge before the freak out totally derails me ... Sometimes I know what my triggers are and sometimes I don't ... I never try to second guess or question my fight/flight/freeze/fawn responses anymore though ... If something is telling me to get the heck out, I get the heck out ... I hope you're able to find a workable solution for yourself too ... Living with PTSD is not easy, but it can sure lead us to finding some creative ways to make things work for us in spite of it!

Sincerely,
Pfrog!