On today’s podcast I discussed the finer points of driving while anxious. I recruited my younger brother to share with you his phobia – driving. I recently received a request from an Anxiety Guru reader who wanted this topic reviewed so we beat this issue to near death on our quest for driving nirvana.
Driving as we all know can be a huge obstacle for many anxiety sufferers. This becomes extremely problematic because of the amount of driving we all have to do. This podcast is meant to detail some of the most common problems faced by anxious drivers but it also offers some solutions to this issue.
Show Notes:
Issues related to driving while anxious and panicked
a. Traffic
b. Fear of a panic attack
c. Anxiety Symptoms
d. Fear of distance
e. Weather
f. Night driving
g. Getting lost
H. Automatic negative thoughts
Ways to overcome driving anxiety
a. Self talk
b. Positive thinking
c. Listening to music
d. Breathing techniques
e. Pull over to compose yourself
f. Do everything humanly possible to address your anxiety disorder
If you have any questions or topic ideas drop me a line by clicking here.
I have had anxiety on and off for as long as I can remember, and when I was a teenager I was a bit nervous in cars, but I can’t say I have had anxiety about riding in a car to the extent a lot of people, including your brother do. Driving is actually something I love to do – especially when I’m feeling anxious. Driving helps me feel calmer and I try to focus all of my attention on it and off of any anxious feelings I may be experiencing.
Thanks Paul. Been looking forward to a new podcast for a while. Love the shows, please keep it up.
Thank you so much for your podcast on driving and having panic attacks…I have had attacks for over 5 years while driving and it is such a relief to know I am not the only one out there! Everything you and your brother talked about on the podcast was something I could relate to. I have to drive for my job to stores over 100 miles from my house and I dread it each week to the point where I am looking for another job. I cannot deal with the drivers that come up quick behind me, the weather freaks me out, bridges, mountains, sunlight flickering through trees, cannot do night time driving at all. My heart races, sweaty palms, can’t breath, I feel like I’m going to die and that I am out of control. I have to pull over alot, turn on my A/C, turn the radio stations, put my hands up close to the cool air to get the sweat off….to help myself I bring my teddy bear from childhood with me, put a picture of my boyfriend on the dashboard…listen to books on CD, drink water alot….I still get the attacks but they are not as frequent with these minor distractions. I still catch myself anticipating these weekly drives and that makes it much worse because that little scary monster has planted itself ahead of time and just try to get him to go away! I’m so glad I discovered your web site and I look forward to absorbing all of it!! Maybe there is hope!