Dealing with Driving Anxiety

Driving anxiety can be caused by lots of different things. I would be interested to know in a questionnaire on the homepage how this relates to you. For me I was driving for years with my job doing an extensive amount of miles for work and I really enjoyed it as well.

Then for some reason out of the blue I started feeling dizzy all the time. I went to the doctors and they prescribed me vertigo tablets which did nothing for me really. But then I started panicking when I was going around corners in the car and felt like I was losing control.

I didn't have to drive far to get to work so it was something I was scared off but had to put up with. Then a couple of weeks later I had a massive panic attack after being out with the family drinking, had a cup of coffee, still hung over the next morning and blam my head turned around and blew me out of the window. This panic attack went on for 4 hours and left me in desperation.

Having to take time off work in order to recover. I now found that I just kept breaking down everywhere I went in the car. A lot of the time I had to stop the car and get out and get my wife or mum to come and pick me up. The feeling was just unbearable and it came from out of nowhere. One day I would be fine the next day I just couldn't stand the thought of getting in the car and driving.

Then I went through a divorce which meant I had to move an hour away from work and my two kids. This was an absolute nightmare everyday I used to worry about whether I would get there or not. Panicking leaving before it was dark or there was too much traffic on the road.

I even changed my car five times to different models just to see if I could feel better that way.

It might be that your phobia and fear of driving has come from nowhere as well. Or you could have had a bad accident and it is taking you time to deal with this again, or you could just be frightened and suffering from driving anxiety full stop.

Here are some of the tips I learnt to help me with driving anxiety.

• Don't feed the anxiety before you start driving. The moment you put those ideas in your head they go around and around. The negative then creates an environment of fear before you have started. 
• Ease your way back into things slowly - you don't have to go on long journeys just practice doing short one's until your confidence is up. 
• See if you can get someone you trust and is insured to come with you in case you need to stop. 
• Put something on in the car that will make you laugh. Believe it or not but laughing does help as your body tends to relax in this state. 
• Find out where the stress is coming from and try to address it. 
• Exercise before you get in the car - this allows your body to relax. After playing football and driving I never once had a bad attack. 
• Try and stay positive and make small steps to dealing with the anxiety - you don't have to rush into anything. 
• If you have been in a bad crash then see your doctor about how you can deal with the psychological effects that have become issues. 

One of the other things I bought was the Panic Away Program. Although it doesn't end the issues straight away it does help you to understand how you can deal with the driving anxiety when it rises. It came with a cd you can put it on in the car which addresses the phobia and fear of driving directly as well which is really useful.

Anyway I completely understand how you feel and it is horrible. I had so many years of suffering from this that I wouldn't wish it upon anyone else. So make sure you do something about it otherwise it will take it's toll in other areas.

If you would like additional help with your driving anxiety or with panic attacks in general then have a look at the homepage where I offer a newsletter and a free report to help you on your journey.

All the best Leigh ;-)

Further Reading What To Take For Anxiety Attacks

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