Driving anxiety panic attack
Hi, Sometimes I get this really scary feeling when I’m driving my car. Like I’m going to lose handle of the steering wheel. So strong that I’m scared I’ll black out while driving. I keep going and going but I’m so scared the whole way. My eyes get blurry and sometimes I want to break out in tears. So scared. That if I pull over someone will harm me or rob me or no one will help or care and I’ll be in more trouble so I keep going freaking out the entire time barely can breath.
@Princesprincess05
I understand how terrifying it is. Sometimes, this fear/anxiety stems from past trauma related to driving, and one needs to take it slow. For example,
1. Sitting in your parked car for a while with your hands on the steering wheel,
2. Reversing the car from the driveway and driving it back inside,
3. Driving in your lane and finally around the neighborhood,
4, Driving on the main/busy road, etc.
It takes a lot of time but every step counts. Ultimately, I would advise you to seek professional help (psychologists or psychiatrists) who can help you get to the root of the issue and help you heal. Gooduck!
Talk to a therpaist about this. Seems there is a past incident in your life related to cars.
I used to have panic attacks while driving too. I’d also fear blacking out on a highway. What helped me was grounding techniques when I felt an attack coming. Something to bring me back to the present and not wrapped up in my physical sensations of panic like a racing heart or numbness in hands. Past favourites are counting backwards from 100. Better yet subtract 3 from 100 until you get to the negatives. I also like to tap hard on my leg with a free hand to distract myself from the attack because now I’m feeling my leg... while looking at the road of course. One more tip is to conquer the road one stretch at a time and not think about how long of a journey you still have. You add up all the stretches and before long you are there! I used all the above tips with medication to help with my driving related panic. I used to be incapacitated on the road, pulling over randomly because I thought I was going to pass out. Made going to work really hard and this was on and off for a decade before I sought help. But I got over it ultimately and now I can drive almost anywhere...it’s liberating...no avoiding certain unsafe roads...and I think you can conquer it too! Good luck :)
I have something like that, too, but not while driving. I have fearful and realistic thoughts that I will harm someone or myself out of nowhere in seemingly normal social situations. I deduced that the feeling brings things you can be afraid of to your mind. How to get rid of that feeling? You drive already, and I have thought to myself that I can never drive because of this. I'd rather be able to drive though.😜
