This is a kinda embrassing question to ask so pls don’t judge.
I did have moments where I like… went to the local library alone, or like an all day school trip or something…
But I never really like… explored outside alone… especially far from home…
So like… I feel scared about the idea of like… just going for a walk all by myself…
I realize I’ve always just asked parents to drive me somewhere so I never got a chance to just get in the habit of being by myself.
I don’t have a driver’s license so I don’t really have like a car to “retreat to”, if you know what I mean, like as in sort of “castle”.
How do I even “feel safe” just being outside on my own? For context I’m non-white so it’s… kinda intimidating… especially in the current context of US political atmosphere.
I know what you mean with the parents providing transportation to everywhere! I was in a similar situation when I moved out. I was often too anxious to enter a store on my own because I had never had to do that alone (or really been given the opportunity to do that alone).
What helped me was finding a nice coffee shop near my place. They had delicious matcha lattes and I made a tradition of walking there on weekends. Then I realized that I could stop at a scenic park on the way back home. Then I realized that I liked walking around. Then I realized that there are cats outside and I can pet them! And at some point I also got really into pokemon go. It was a compounding series of small realizations that I could just go out and do things.
Disclaimer: I’m not from the USA and I am white, so that affects my experiences of this.
Side note: I’ve made a map of the locations at which I have encountered cats, making note of how many were there and if they were friendly or not. It gives me a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Seconding the coffee shop recommendation. When I found a place near me that was nice and not overwhelming, I really enjoyed being able to be a regular there. There were days when I was not well and knew that it would help me to get out of the house at least once, and it was nice to have a place like this that could act as an achievable goal.
Even on good days, I find it useful to have somewhere I can go and exist and feel safe in a place that’s not my home. I find I get more work done this way sometimes, so I’ll often take my laptop, my headphones, and just spend an entire day working in a café. My regular place had a few tables that were sort of tucked away in a nook, and had a plug socket nearby, so it was great.
also recommend the coffeshop… nothing like going out in public and taking public transportation being stoned out of your gord.
Random cats are like loot boxes and pokemon characters!! I love it!