Will Anxiety Screenings Become A Part Of Regular Check
For many people, feeling is believing, says psychotherapist and former airline pilot Captain Tom Bunn, a recent guest on the Think Act Be podcast. If I feel it, it has to be true. He noted that people prone to panic tend to interpret physiological symptoms of anxiety as danger, whereas some people enjoy the physiological arousal, like getting on a roller coaster.
If you recognize emotional reasoning in yourself, start to question your assumptions about what fear means. It might simply mean that youre afraid.
4. Beware of psychic equivalence
Most of the time we can tell the difference between whats real and things we imagine. But when were intensely anxious, this distinction can dissolvea process known as psychic equivalence.
Under stress, you might default to believing that your mental experience represents perception, said Bunn. When people worry about having a panic attack, that can cause enough stress that theyre sure theyre going to have a panic attack. They forget that whats in their mind is imagination.
Intense fear can lead to a powerful form of emotional reasoning, in which the driving-related disasters you’re afraid of feel like reality instead of fears. When you’re relaxed you may know perfectly well that panic doesn’t make you faint, for example, but might think you’re on the verge of fainting when panic hits. In his treatment program, Bunn offers ways to calm the nervous system so its less likely to trigger psychic equivalence.
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Driving Anxiety: 11 Actionable Steps To Overcome Your Fear
Driving anxiety is common and affects people from all over the world. While driving may seem natural to some people, it can evoke fear, anxiety, and panic in others.
If you experience driving anxiety, the very thought of getting behind the wheel can make you nervous. In some cases, driving anxiety can stem from being in a specific situation like driving through tunnels or bridges.
Driving anxiety can be overcome by receiving professional help from a therapist- Click below to book your appointment.
What Causes Panic Attacks While Driving
You could have a panic attack while youre driving for many different reasons.
Sometimes, panic attacks happen with no clear cause. However, certain factors can make panic attacks more likely, such as:
- a family history of panic disorder
- significant stress or life changes
- a recent accident or trauma, even one thats not related to driving
If you get panic attacks from time to time, you might worry about having one again, particularly in a situation or place where you might put yourself or others in danger.
Panic attacks often stem from a fear of losing control, but having this worry may actually make it more likely youll experience one.
Feeling anxious, panicky, or stressed for any reason while driving doesnt necessarily mean youll panic, but these factors could make an attack more likely as well.
Panic attacks can also occur in response to fear or when youre exposed to a trigger, such as an event, sight, smell, sound, or feeling that reminds you of your fear or of a time you had a panic attack.
If you have a phobia you may be more likely to have a panic attack. For example, encountering what youre afraid of could cause a panic attack.
This might occur with driving anxiety or a phobia of driving, or things you might encounter while driving, like bridges, tunnels, large bodies of water, or bees and other insects that you suspect could get inside your car.
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What You Wear May Matter While Driving
Does fashion matter if you have driving anxiety? No. Does comforting, soothing clothing matter? Yes. Everyone has a favorite comfy item or two they love almost as much as the little blanket each of us held onto for dear life as toddlers. When you have to get in the car and know that the drive could make you feel anxious, plan ahead and wear your favorite soft hoodie for the trip, or wear the scarf that feels good gently wrapped around your neck. Remember that sometimes its the littlest and most unpredictable things that can make you feel better when youre anxious or on the verge, colloquially speaking, of losing it!
How To Deal With An Anxiety Episode While Driving
Everyone feels nervous sometimes, and it is a natural survival instinct that helps people be aware of their surroundings. Anxiety, however, is a psychological condition that is characterized by persistent feelings of worry, tension, and nervousness. Women are twice as likely to experience anxiety as men, which can be linked to hormone fluctuations experienced during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. Anxiety episodes while driving can be extremely dangerous. It is important to understand what anxiety is, what causes it, and how to avoid anxiety episodes while driving.
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Anxiety Attacks While Driving: 5 Tips To Cope
Are you prone to getting anxiety attacks while driving? So was I. This is a common occurrence that you dont need to feel ashamed about. I did for a long time, and it only made things worse. You can read my story here. Because so many people suffer from anxiety attacks while driving, I decided to offer some helpful tips for dealing with them.
Anxiety attacks while driving can be scary, because sometimes were unsure how our bodies will react. Many of us struggle with fear we may pass out or go insane, although this rarely happens.
Fortunately, there are ways of getting through these anxiety attacks. While driving can be stressful in itself, those of us who struggle with anxiety feel the pain in a whole different way.
Whats The Outlook If You Have Panic Attacks
Panic attacks and panic disorder generally improve with treatment, and a mental health professional can help you find the treatment that works best for you.
While youre in therapy, its a good idea to try and keep doing things youd normally do, including driving. If you avoid driving out of fear of having a panic attack, you may find it even more difficult to eventually begin driving again.
Try driving short distances or on quiet roads where you can safely practice deep breathing or other relaxation techniques if you begin feeling panic symptoms. It might also help to take a trusted friend or family member with you when you drive.
Also Check: How To Deal With Anxiety Attacks Naturally
Take A Drivers Course
If you have never gotten your drivers license and would like to as an adult, enroll in a course of driving lessons for adults. If you already have your license and are feeling a lot of anxiety, it can be helpful to re-enroll in a drivers course to help refresh your skills and increase your confidence. These classes also give you an opportunity to practice with an instructor, which can bring some peace of mind.
What Do My Eyes Have To Do With Panic Attacks While Driving
Visual processing is extremely important. All-day long, we are surrounded by visual stimulants and our eyes and brain work in perfect synchronization to interpret what we can see. This requires a great deal of skill, most of which we take for granted. One of these skills is the ability for our eyes to work together as a team to produce a single, clear image. When our eyes are slightly out of alignment it is impossible for them to do this. Instead, our bodies try to attempt the vision misalignment by overusing and straining the eye muscles. This is a condition that is known as Binocular Vision Dysfunction or BVD for short.
Exactly what causes BVD can vary between people. It may be that your visual skills are underdeveloped, you may have a problem with the muscles or nerves surrounding the eyes, or you have one eye slightly higher than the other. To look at you, it may be impossible to tell that you have a slight eye misalignment. Nevertheless, the effects are very real.
Fortunately, there are treatments that can help to counteract the effects of binocular vision dysfunction, including special prism lenses. Our team would be happy to talk to you about the effects of BVD and the treatments that are available. To get started, take our free BVD test.
To learn more about panic attacks while driving & how it relates to your eyes, contact The Dizziness and Headache Optometry Center at 626-3400.
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What Else You Can Do To Deal With Driving Anxiety
Whether you are getting professional help with your driving anxiety or not, it is important to know some relaxation techniques and other handy tips to ensure you can continue your daily routine as much as possible.
Figure out the cause of your fear
Often, this is something that you will do as part of your treatment with a professional. However, it may be quite helpful if you have not done this already.
Some causes of driving anxiety include a crash that you were involved in or being stuck in the wrong lane at a busy roundabout. Once you have worked out the cause of your driving anxiety, you can brainstorm ways to get over it.
For example, lets say your anxiety is caused by navigating roundabouts. One step you can take toward getting over this problem is to try driving around a roundabout that you are very familiar with at a time when it is not busy.
Or, if you are not quite ready for that yet, you might find that watching videos online about how to drive around roundabouts is a good place to start. Research has shown that working out the cause of your fears³ and problem-solving them helps reduce anxiety.
Plan your route
If you are driving to a new place and that causes anxiety, plan your trip in advance. Do some research on the place you are going. Find out what kind of area it is. Is it a busy city, or is it more rural? Are you going to be there during the rush hour?
Allow extra time
Take a support person
Stay local when you can
Take the time to congratulate yourself
Effects Of Driving Anxiety
Driving-related anxiety triggers a negative impact on the individuals physical and mental health and well-being, both in the short-term through muscle tension and irritability. It may also impact someone long-term, as they may develop a strong enough fear to skip driving altogether and miss important appointments.
Some potential effects of living with driving anxiety include:2
- Chronic muscle tension
- Changes in heart rate and stress levels
- Higher risk of having an accident if driving causes panic attacks
- Likelihood of reduced mobility as someone because more anxious about driving
- Problems related to finances, housing, relationships, and employment if someone stops driving due to anxiety
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Causes Of Driving Anxiety
There are several different types of driving anxiety and thousands of experiences that may lead to panic behind the wheel. Two of the most common causes of driving anxiety include:
- Panic Attack While Driving
One of the most frightening instances of driving anxiety occurs when someone has a panic/anxiety attack while operating a vehicle. Panic attacks overwhelm individuals, because they encompass your entire mind and body, making it difficult to concentrate on anything else. When they come on, it can feel like there is no escape, which is only heightened if this happens when driving. Unfortunately, these events can cause increased anxiety with driving, because of the fear of having another panic attack behind the wheel. If allowed to have these thoughts, people will likely incite another panic attack. These attacks have a way of repeating simply based on the fear of having it again.
- Dangerous Situations
Anxiety also tends to occur as a response to dangerous experiences or perceived dangerous experiences. For example, an accident or several near accidents may promote anxiety of driving. Even hearing about car accidents or seeing them can contribute to that anxiety.
Spend Time On The Passenger Seat
If youre new to driving or havent driven in some time, being in the drivers seat can be unnerving. To get over these nerves, you can spend some time in the passenger seat and get acclimatized to driving.
When possible, get someone youre comfortable with to drive you around and just watch them.
Watching someone else drive effortlessly will fill you with confidence. Additionally, as youre in the passenger seat, other cars, the road, and driving will seem more natural, which then helps you overcome your nerves.
Start driving anxiety fear treatment with a licensed mental health professional- Click the button below to schedule your appointment.
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Calm Your Mind Before Driving
As with most anxieties and phobias, driving anxiety scrambles your mind and makes it nearly impossible to be coherent or process thoughts as you naturally would.
This only worsens the situation and makes you feel like you cant drive from fears and mental breakdowns.
To deal with this, you can create a calm environment for your mind anytime youre about to drive.
By regularly practicing relaxation techniques, you build a wall between your fears and your mind. Daily relaxation techniques can also calm your mind and help you deal with the days stresses, including driving.
Heres a simple and effective relaxation technique you can use during the day:
- Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Try to calm down and take control of your breathing.
- Inhale gently and deeply through your nose as you count from one to five.
- Exhale slowly and gently through your mouth as you count from one to five.
- Repeat this process several times until you can feel yourself getting calmer. You can repeat this technique several times a day.
Additionally, you can use Progressive Muscle Relaxation exercises to take more control of your mind and body. By clenching and loosening targeted muscles, youll build awareness of tension retention and release.
To start progressive muscle relaxation techniques, clench your fists for ten seconds and then release them for another ten seconds. Focus on the tension leaving your fists and hands throughout the exercise.
These muscle exercises also help you:
The Driving Confidence Podcast
We created this podcast for drivers who want to be calm and confident on the road. Whether you are a learner driver, a new driver or have been driving for years, this podcast will help you to beat driving nerves and anxiety and build your driving confidence.
Co-hosted by Kev & Tracey Field, each Driving Confidence podcast episode offers bite-sized information and ideas that are both relatable and achievable to help you manage your driving nerves or anxiety and transform how you feel about driving.
Listen On:
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What Causes Anxiety Attacks While Driving
Driving anxiety is difficult to be traced to a particular factor. The connection between stress and driving could be a valid reason why drivers get anxiety attacks.
In the same vein, the cause might not come from stress while driving. Moreover, some panic attacks happen for no reason at all.
Below are the most common causes of anxiety attacks while driving:
- Stress: Imagine a person with a high-stress condition getting behind the wheel to drive. There is a great chance that such a person would encounter panic attacks while driving.
- Anxiety: A high level of anxiety is mostly generated from either the environment or biological conditions. It is a probable cause of such panic attacks.
- Panic Disorder: Panic disorder is a medical condition and is also hereditary. Most people who have panic disorder suffer from panic attacks even if it is not related to driving. Panic or anxiety attacks can occur while driving. It is occasionally predictable or expected, and sometimes not.
- Recent Accident: If someone is a victim of a prior accident, even if not related to driving could trigger panic attacks.
- Driving through a Tunnel or Bridge: Tunnels can make you feel trapped, while bridges can bring the terror of driving over. Driving through a tunnel or bridge can activate phobic feelings, which are the source of anxiety.
- Highway Driving: Faster speed, more distractions, more cars, and traffic are the necessary experience in highway driving.
What Are The Types Of Amaxophobia
Someone with amaxophobia may be:
- OK driving but cant handle having someone else behind the wheel.
- Able to ride in a vehicle, but only with someone they trust, like a spouse.
- Unable to be a passenger in a vehicle regardless of whos driving.
- Fine taking public transportation as long as the route stays the same.
- Unable to look at a vehicle or think about getting into a vehicle without feeling panic.
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Anxiety While Driving On Highway: 5 Simple Strategies To Beat It
Highways are an inescapable part of our lives. If you drive a car, youll have to drive on highways at least some of the time. Highway driving freaks a lot of drivers out though, because its the number one fear of anxious drivers. The speed, traffic, and driving near large vehicles creates a lot of anxiety while driving on the highway for almost anyone nervous about driving.
Listen to Andrew Cunningham, co-creator of the Driving Peace program, talk about the most common fears of anxious drivers. Highway driving includes at least half of them.
I think of highways as being driving anxiety on steroids: They combine the scariest parts of driving into one nerve-wracking activity. This includes fear of driving too fast, fear of driving in freeway traffic, and fear of merging on the highway.