Anxiety And Driving.

[melody]

I can totally relate to this... I imagine all kinds of bad things happening and if there are any loud noises, I jump out of my seat. There are far too many people driving without licenses and insurance because they've been charged and all I can think about is, what if they hit me? There will be no coverage and I will have to deal with it on my own, if I survive it...

I do have to say the positive self talk that Eleanor brought up looks like a good way to help me through the tough days and I will definitely try it.

Thanks for the post gizmo and way to go!

 

[Pale Warrior]

Hi Gizmo, happy to read of your driving exploits and your strong will to succeed. :)

Good luck with the EMDR, please come here and report.

Just one thing, and please forgive me if I am presuming too much, but could you be loading stress from other areas of your life onto driving? I don't know if there is a fancy psychological name for it but I know I used to do it, not driving, but transferring my panic to mundane activities instead of the real cause of my fear.

Whatever, dear gizmo, you inspire me to keep going and face my own demons with tenacity. x

 

[Eleanor]

You will do great Gizmo! The road to desensitization is a long one, but the only way out is through. Keeping fingers crossed for the EMDR.

Maybe it is time to change the thought form from "I have anxiety about driving" which is not, strictly speaking, true. You have anxiety about going on the highway. Local driving is fine, yes? So, you have anxiety about going on the highway. Pare it back if you can - "I feel anxious about merging on to the highway, but once there, I am fine." Like that. Or maybe if there could be some "fun" destination? Or even no point at all. If you only drive on the fwy when you "have" to... I can't think that that helps...

Go Get 'em!:)

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Melody, thanks for the wtg. I needed that. i am doing ok right now. I took my anxiety meds and they took the edge off of the anxiety for me. I am posting to keep my mind distracted and not dwelling on the trip ahead.

Positive self talk is a good way to diffuse the situation. It helps me. It helps me alot. I keep on saying I will do ok.

I will have to drive to a place I have never been before. If I do not think I can do it, I will have them pay for a cab. I am not going to push myself. I can do only what i can do. Thanks again for sharing. I worru anout someone else hitting me. I was in a hit and run. It was a traumatic experience. I wonder if that has something to do with the driving phobia.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Pale Warrior. Thank you for sharing. I do have a strong will to succeed. I so want to grow beyond this.
It is possible that i am transferring the fears from other areas onto the driving. Like I said I was in a hit and run, It was pretty scary. I have a tendancy to horribalize. I need to work on that.

Thanks for the healing words. I am more prepared to go out and do it. I am feeling calm now. I am glad. Mabe today will be another good day of driving.

I have a problem with the fact that the anxiety picks me and the days I have it. I am still trying to accept that the anxiety is a part of my life. I think if I could just accept it, it would make things easier. i wouln't have the internal battles of being pulled in half. Thanks again.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

(((Eleanor)))

As usual I can count on you for the encouragement to use positive self talk, I am really trying not to do violence to myself in the ways I talk to myself. I am doing what I can. I will arm myself with the things that work. Looking forward to having another good driving day.

Today is a good day to get out of here and see some sights. I have some errands to run in town after we get back. It is a good way to detox. I feel relief when I get off the freeway. It is another day. I will get to drive again next wed. i will have to drive to places. Mabe I will go to barnes and noble and order a book I want to get. That would be fun. We will see. Thanks again for the encouragement.

 

[Eleanor]

Gizmo, excellent self talk up thread! "Get to drive"!!!! Way to go!:tup:

Maybe it is just wishful thinking on my part - but I'm sensing some reduction in the strength/intensity of the anxiety since you started this thread.... Hope that's true!:)

Here is a question for you to consider; where could you drive that would be so totally worth the anxiety that even if you sweated and suffered the WHOLE DRIVE - you would still be (after a suitable recovery period of course) psyched to be there?

(intended to work in a similar way that those questions on Star Trek did, when you asked the evil computer that was trying to take over the universe something that couldn't be computed and it would make the computer just...shut down! May this shut your anxiety down by tying it up in a logic loop!:ninja::geek: or at least be slightly fun. )

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Eleanor-

I had another day of a good driving day! I did fine. I was passing cars. The sweets did help. I had a enjoyable drive. I was so calm. i am pretty excited about this turn of events. Mabe the anxiety is on its way out of my life.

I know 2steps forward and 3 steps back.:rolleyes:

I am so happy. I used one hand on the steering wheel. I went over the bumps in the road just fine. I did'nt have the anxiety.

This is 2 times in a row. I get the pre-driving jitters, but I have been using positive self talk to keep me calm.

I was calm when I left I got on the onramp ok. It was a cinch. The traffic was'nt that bad. I had a few thoughts on car wrecks, but I told myself it was irrational. And that kept me centered. I got in the car and did ok. i told myself that i would do good and I did.

Crossing my fingers. I think it has helped tremdouslu to write about my progress and get all of the good help and support I have gotten here.

All i can say is Woo Woo!!!:D It happened again. I did ii.

 

[Eleanor]

HAPPY DANCE FOR GIZMO!!!!! WOO HOO!!!!! :tup::tup::tup::D You go, girl!

"I feel good, (do do do do do do do) like I knew that I would, now...." bows to James Brown...

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Since I've had 2 good days of driving, I do not feel anxious about driving tommorow. So I do not dread it. I am looking forward to driving. I will not have to drive for awhile. I will have 3places to drive. I will have to drive for an hour, and I will have to drive to a place I haven't been before. If I can't do it I will take a cab. I could do that.

I am feeling nervous about that one. The one for an hour won't be so bad since I have to be at another place for an appt. Then my husband will have an appt at the other place.

I will take sweets and play the radio tommorow. I am starting to feel alittle anxious. I hope it will be another good day of driving. I so want this anxiety to go away. I will call tommorow to get the referal for the emdr.

I will have to drive for that. I have been exposing myself to driving. And it has been getting better. Well here goes nothing. I will do it tommorow. I have been fine all day. I have'nt thought about it until I started to write about it. I think I scare myself. I sure hope not.

I feel it in my stomach. I have anxiety meds I can take. I will come back here and give a report. If it is a good driving day, then I will know for sure that I am getting better. I sure hope so.

 

[Eleanor]

Two good days and lined up for a third! AWESOME!!!

The tide is turning - you are getting this thing on the run gizmo:tup:

 

[Deleted member 12723]

I cannot believe it, but I drove today without anxiety.!!!!!:cool: Now I have to figure out why I am afraid to drive the day before. I do not understand that one. It is so useless to dread driving when I do such a fantastic job!

This is 3 times in a row now. I am getting a handle on this thing. So writing sbout it, exposing myself to it, and getting help and support has been helping.

I called for the referral on the emdr today and have'nt heard back from them yet. I will call them again tommorow. I will keep on going forward.

Thanks for all of the help and support guys. This is very exciting to me. Victory.:tup::D:whistling: