Anxiety And Driving.

[Eleanor]

Since the anxiety is (at least in part) a mechanism to help you escape from doing things you don't want to (and that puts you in a bit of a catch-22 you now don't want to because of the anxiety) maybe reframing some of the thinking might help. Examples below:

Take this

:eek:I will have to drive again next Wed. I have some errands I have to run.

I have no choice.

I can't chew gum or take sweets because I have to have a fasting blood test for my pshchiatrist.

I will have to et gas. I have a hard time getting gas. I can do the pump, and I can pay for it. I just don't like getting gas.

I will take my dog to the vet, she had a parasite and we had to give her medication, Now we need to get her tested to see if she still has it. She has to get her booster shots.

I will have to go to the pharmacy againl I will have to go to the lab to get a blood test. I've had some bad experiences with some bad blood tests.

Replace with:
I always have other options. I don't "Have To" do anything. I am choosing to drive over not driving or getting a cab. I am choosing to drive because I want to be in control of where I go, and when I got there. I choose to drive because I would rather spend taxi money on something better (like mocha frappes!)

I am choosing to drive because I want my dog to be healthy, and he needs to go to the vet for shots and tests to make sure he is parasite free.

I am choosing to drive and refrain from gum and sweets because I want myself to be healthy, and I am taking a blood test to give the doctors the information they need to treat me effectively. I am talking to the techs and asking them to take special care with me because I have had a bad experience in the past. I choose to take care of myself effectively.

I am buying gas because I would rather not run out while I am on the road.

If you practicing thinking like this, does it reduce the anxiety? It is more truthful in any case - if you (God forbid) were blinded tomorrow you and your H would contrive to find rides to get all these things done, right? You wouldn't just sit at home and starve... I'd bet money on that! and I only bet on absolutely sure things...:)

 

[Srain]

Congratulation Gizmo! :tup:

And all without smoking, yeah! I was worried about that when I quit smoking as well, especially on long drives, yikes! But what I found was bringing water along with me and cranking the music (I'm a GRATING err GREAT singer :)) helps a lot. I don't care who sees me rocking out at as long as I am comfortable in my car. I have special music for around town and other music for longer drives.

Pale Warrior, I love that your husband has special shoes, I imagine they might make it easier for him in being able to feel the pedals and have a sense of control. Having had the accident I can sure relate to his fears. I'm glad he is doing so much better.

Rain

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Thank you, you are right. Positive self talk will greatly reduce the anxiety. Thank you for your common sense approach. I am choosing to drive to be in control of the situation. I am choosing to run my errands because they need to be taken care of. I am choosing to do many things now that I did not do before. I am glad that I am healthy enough to do them. I will practice this in my speech patterns until they become a habit.

I have already been practicing it but your examples helped me to refine it. ((HUG))

 

[Eleanor]

Crossing fingers:). Hope it works! Let us know how it goes....

 

[Deleted member 12989]

I got my PTSD as a result of a car accident, and even though I was a new driver I had to drive the next day over the same busy street during rush hour. And later that day, I had to drive for over an hour on the thruway to get to my job. I literally thought I was going to die. What helped me get through that summer was keeping myself busy so that I didn't have time to think about the fear. The more you think about it, the worse it gets. I had a special CD that I would play on loop on the way home from my job that would comfort me. I also noticed that my seat in the car was not in a comfortable position, so it was making me feel extra nervous and uptight. Are you sitting comfortably in your car?

The best thing I did to deal with the anxiety was exercise. I would come home from work at 11pm and exercised intensely for an hour, and it saved me. I wouldn't have been able to sleep if it weren't for that.

My therapist suggested that over the summer I drive for 30 minutes every day in the scariest places I could think of that trigger my anxiety--like roads with intersections and several lanes and high speeds. I didn't follow her advice exactly, but I did work myself up slowly to driving places where I would have felt uncomfortable before. At first, I was terrified to even drive one neighborhood down from where I live, but now I can drive on multi-lane roads if I know where I am going without feeling scared.

I know it's hard, but you seem like a very strong person. You can make progress even if it's slow. It felt like an eternity for me. Stay strong!

 

[anabelle]

I have a really hard time driving and usually take Xanax to ease the anxiety, but get a feeling like I'm floating on it. I had a QEEG after the Xanax was administered, and it showed that the overactivity from my limbic system had spread throughout my brain. My neuro guy said I don't feel the anxiety on the med because it's no longer where it ususally occurs, but my processing is really bad. After the test I kept having moments where I didn't know where I was, so I'll be going off the Xanax. Trying biofeedback.

One thing that helped me was to get a GPS system. Somebody is in the car with me, guiding me through traffic and onto on/off ramps. I don't have to search for the right exit - a voice tells me to get over to the right and prepare to use the next exit. Even familiar routes can seem strange when I'm really anxious, so this device can help me keep my bearings.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Well, I will be driving again next week. I will practice choosing my words with care. I did'nt have this problem when I was on the zanax. I'm sorry she took me off of it. I have a follow up appointment with my psychiatrist in the end of April.

I think I should be driving more on places that are hard for me so I can get used to it. I drive in town everyday and I do fine. I don't have the anxiety when I drive in town.

I am thinking that I should exercise before I have to drive. I can sleep ok, and I am grateful for that miracle.

Thank you for taking the time to respond. The responses are helping me.

Iam going to be driving to the vet and the hospital clinic. I will be doing these things because I care about mydogs health and my own health. The following week I will be driving to the pharmacy to get more prescriptions. I care about doing these things. I do not want to dread driving I want to be calm and relaxed. Having a gps sounds like a good idea. Where do you buy one? Would bes buy have them?

I have been having anxiety every day. It is not good to have anxiety everyday. I have medication for the anxiety. But I go thru it so fast. I will try to be relaxed when I think about driving. I am ok right now. I am glad. I hope I do not have anxiety tommorow. I am so sick of it. I do not know what is casuing it.

Ilove it on the days when I am normal and I feel ok. I feel it in my stomach. It is a free floating anxiety. I will do exercises when I get off this computer.

Tommorow I will have to run some errands. I will get gas and that will be good because I do not want to run out. I am feeling ok right now. I hope that tommorow I will feel ok when I have to run errands, I have to get dog food and I have to deposit a check in the bank.

When I drive next week I will go to the book store and order some books. I will have to drive to my daughter's house to pick up my granddaughter, because I will get her for the weekend. I will take her to mcdonalds for a meal.

I have been in bad car accidents. I was'nt driving. I was a passenger. The last time I drove on the way home I was driving in the slow lane. On the way there I was driving ok. I hope to be able to drive ok. I am so sick of this anxiety. I am sick of waking up with it. I was feeling so much better not so long ago.

Anyways thanks for the help and the responses, it is helping me to process this stuff.

 

[Eleanor]

You are doing great gizmo! That sounds like a super trip, and primo job on the "self-talk" revision and adding more great "reality checking" stuff. :) Keep writing. I find it helps me with anxiety too. I hate hate hate free floating anxiety. It just makes me want to crawl out of my skin. (shiver)

If the zanax worked, why'd she change you? Was there a problem?

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Eleanor-

She took me off the zanax because I said I was having problems driving, and I was afraid I would get in an accident. She did'nt want to be responsible iff I got in a wreck. She said they wouled hold her responsible if I got in a wreck being on the zanax. I have a new psychiatrist one that is helping me.

I did ok doing the errands today. No anxiety. Instead of going to the book store to order books, I called them up and ordered a book and am going to have it delivered to my house. So I got rid of a driving situation.

I am doing ok today. Had to take the anxiety medication today. It helped.It was good to get out of the house. Sometimes I get cabin fever and feel cooped up.

I'm doing better on taking care of myself. Even though I woke up with the free floating anxiety, I am doing so much better right now. I feel peaceful and calm. I wish I could hang onto these feelings. It would make such a huge difference in my life.

I wish I could find the root cause of my anxiety. Awareness is the key. Once awareness of the situation is made then one can move forwards. I want to move forward and am tired of being stuck in a re-run of each day. I was doing so good. I am having flashbacks of an abusive situation, where the abuser got away with it. I moved away from all of the triggers.

I am starting my life over. From scratch. It is a very quiet and peaceful life. things are very calm, there is no more high drama. Each day is the same. I force myself to drive each day. I did ok today. It is only on the freeway that I have the anxiety.

The anxiety is in my stomach. It is a ball of fear. I fear what ifs, and I know this is bad. So I tell myself the truth, that I am manufacturing anxiety. I do ok on passing cars. I have a problem driving by big trucks. I do ok. I stay in my lane. depending on how I feel, i can use one hand on the steering wheel. BUt when I have anxiety, i use 2 hands on the steering wheel.

I am having chest pains. It is from using the lap top It is the position I sit in. I think it is more like a cramp. I do not know when I am going to drive next. So I am not dreading it as I do when I have a set date.

It is warm today, I have the screen door open. We are having a warm winter. I am glad. Daylight savings is coming up pretty fast. I do better becasue I have seasonal affective disorder.

I do better in the warm weather. I don't do so good in the cold. I used the radio the last time I drove on the freeway. it helped. I need awareness of what is going on. I am dealing with some past abuse issues.

I did'nt take very good care of myself. I barely survived. I tried to get help, support and validation but I was in a bad environment with many toxic people. Now I have little contact with people. I so appreciate the help and the support and the validation. It is making a profound difference for me. I get suggestions on how to make it better.

One trigger I know for sure is the fact that when I know I am going to be driving on a certain day, I have a big dread of it. I think of it and I feel sick to my stomach. I feel the ball of fear. I do not know what that is all about. I think it is the fact that I won't be getting a break. I need to be rescued from having to drive.
I want to be a passenger. I want to be taken care of. I do not want to have the anxiety. But the fact is that even if I was a passenger I would have anxiety. It is an out of control experience being a passenger.

I can't stop my life. So I force myself. I just do it. The feelings get in the way. I think I am giving to much power to my feelings.Telling myself the truth helps sometimes. I try to hang ontothe truth. Thanks for listening and supporting me as I learn about how to conquer my fears and anxiety

 

[Eleanor]

Hey gizmo, I learned something today that might be worth a mention to your psychiatrist - I learned that anxiety can be caused by thyroid imbalance, among other things. The thing that is a bit tricky about anxiety is that it can be "free floating" but it so easily attaches to something - like driving. PLUS you can have BOTH the physiological anxiety AND the psychological anxiety generators. Do you have other symptoms (you mention cold - which is what got me thinking about this) you could look up thyroid on webmd or mayoclinic has a good website. Its worth taking a look, if that is part of what is going on.

In the meantime, keep hanging on to the truth, and keep making friends with and talking to the anxiety. It is something that takes some time to make habitual. Keep doing the stuff that helps! Hang in there, and don't beat yourself up over small setbacks. Be kind and encouraging to yourself!

In dealing with the old abuse - do you have a therapist as well as a psychiatrist? This sounds like something that would be good to do EMDR or a guided visualization with to process it so it doesn't keep tormenting you.

Keep writing! Sending calm serene energy your way....

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Eleanor- Thanks for all the good things to think about. I will have to check into a thyroid imbalance.
The thing about the driving is that I don't have the anxiety when I drive in town, everyday I go to McDonalds and get a mocha frappe. I actually look forward to the drive. I have problems on the freeways.

Thanks for all the help and support I really appreciate it alot, it has been helping me. Your words have kept me hanging onto the good stuff. Thanks for telling me not to beat myself up over small setbacks and to be kind and encouraging to myself. I tend to be very hard on myself.

My psyhiatrist suggested EMDR and I will be looking into it. I do not have a therapist bcause the hmo I have does'nt deal with ptsd. They are a cognitive behavior type therpy.

Today has been a good day. I took my anxiety medication this morning and it helped. I'm still quitting smoking and it isn't as bad as it was. I am being strong.

After being taken off the zannex for driving poblems I am afraid to mention about the driving problems. but I would like not to be tormented by this. I would like to have better success. I have to do something. I did'nt know that EMDR could help me with the driving problems. I thouht it only dealt with traumatic memories.

I had to run errands yesterday and I did ok. It was something to do. I will have one of my grandaughters this weekend. That is always fun. I don't have alot that I look forward to.

I had a bad experience with a toxic religous group many years ago. That burned me with people and I am not very friendly with other people as a result. They were into gossiping about people and started rumors about me and my family. i amstill recovering from that. I thought the Emdr could help me with that. I guess I will have to have alot of sessions. I have had alot of abuse in my life. I've had alot of traumatic experiences.

I did'nt know that free floating anxiety could attach itself to driving. I have alot to do. Thanks again for everything. You have been so supportive. i so appreciate it. Taking that calm serene enrgy and putting it to good use.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

I forgot to say that I had 9 years of therapy. The driving anxiety started about a year ago. I never had it before. I used to love to drive and did well on the freeway. I think I am having problems because It is all up to me now. I don't get a break from the driving. My husband used to drive alot.

Now it is up to me. I want a break from the driving. I am the caregiver and it is up to me. I have all of the responsibilities. I am doing a good job. I am handeling the jobs well.

By the way, my new avatar is a picture my grandaughter made for me called sunset. I learned how to download a avatar today. That is pretty exciting to me. I am looking forward to getting my book in the mail.
It is on healing from spiritual abuse. I had some branding experiences with a group of toxic faith religous people that destroyed my reputation in the small town I used to live in. I'm in a group of others like me online. It has been helping me.

So I need to talk about this with my psychiatrist. I need to find a caregivers group for help and support.
My husband is functional but he can't do the responsibilities that I am taking care of. He is pretty out of it and he is sick alot of the time. So we spend alot of time at home.

I used to have bad anxiety on the days that I had to pay the bills. But I am used to that now and I don't have the anxiety. I really think it has to do with having to do everything. I really need to take this into my sessions. And see what he has to say about this. Mabe I can find a online caregivers group.