I am having anxiety attacks while driving. What can I do? |

I am having anxiety attacks while driving. What can I do?

by Rod Smith

READER WRITES: I have been suffering with anxiety attacks for about 12 years now. The strange thing is it seems to affect me mostly when driving my car, especially if I get stuck in a traffic jam. I get really anxious and start to get all the symptoms of a panic attack. The trouble is it affecting my life and narrowing down my routes, as I won’t go on certain freeways in case there is any kind of hold up. I am not afraid of flying or of elevators, escalators. It is only when I drive and I am a fairly good passenger. Is there any kind of cure of this phobia, which seems to be ruling my life now?

ROD RESPONDS: Twelve years is a long time to suffer anything. It is when seemingly irrational fears impede functioning that face-to-face medical help becomes necessary. Please, seek it. My therapeutic counsel would question you about the frequency and the intensity of the episodes, which I’d have you describe in great detail. I’d ask you for a painstaking process of self-monitoring with the view to identifying commonalities that predicate your most intense attacks. Having encouraged you to write these observations, I’d suggest you’d be able to identify ways to accommodate, rather than expel, the anxiety from your life altogether.

Posted on March 15, 2006 at 6:46 pm in Anxiety | RSS feed | Reply | Trackback URL

24 Responses to “I am having anxiety attacks while driving. What can I do?”

Sabrina
May 11, 2006 at 8:36 am

im 17 years of age and in the 11th grade. i have been having the same problems since entering 9th grade. i get real hot and my hand start to sweat, it feels like i have to go to the bathroom but a nice breeze of cold air for 5 mins makes it go away SOMETIMES. these attacks are bothering me with my life my school work i just cant get away from it. People say you get them from having a fear of somethin, i get the damn things out of nowhere. its so frustrating to be in a middle of a conversation and feel like your going to pass out. I have friends i dont really have any fear of anything besides bees. its just getting to the point where im getting chest pains and there is not point fo rme to go through this pain. . .there has to be a way around this.

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Dr Jeannette Kavanagh
June 28, 2006 at 3:16 am

Hello,
I’ve only just discovered this blog. First, I agree completely with Rod – that the anxiety attacks while driving need more than a comment from a stranger. That noted, I’d like to share with you an insight which I hope does help you. It’s long, but as short as I could make it.

I’ve counselled many people out of anxiety and panic attacks over the past two decades. Goodness, time flies!! This insight is not mine. I first read it when I studied books by the late Dr Claire Weekes, the marvellously empathic Australian GP. The insight?

“Accept your panic symptoms and ….they’ll go. Fight them and they’ll intensify.”

Look at that word ‘inTENSify’. It’s about tensing up. Becoming worried and even more panicky about your feelings of panic. Once you really realise that,you’ll see that although they’re unwelcome, uninvited and not appropriate to the situation, your feelings of terror and panic are just that: they’re only feelings. They can’t harm you.

Yes, they’re unpleasant.

Yes, I know you don’t want them.

But tell me this, my sweetness, “in the past, has tensing up and worrying even more about feeling panicky helped those feelings to dissipate?” Your answer? I know it’s NO.

Just so you’re very clear: tensing up and fighting your symptoms of panic help will NOT HELP YOU today, or in the future.

Once you accept that there is no real danger in your car, you’ll see that your real fear is the fear of the actual panicky feelings. If you could just let those inappropriate messages of fear come and do their worst, you’d learn how to send those fears packing.

So to summarise, offer no resistance. Accept. Flow. When your pulse races, your heart pounds, your tummy goes queasy, your mouth dries up….do the opposite of what you normally do. Instead of panicking even more do this:

STOP. BREATHE. ACCEPT…

Mimic Mother Nature – flow with the hurricane. Easier said than done. I know, I know. but you can practise this at home a few times and you’ll see how well it works. I know you can make yourself feel great fear just by remembering the last time you were terrified. Bring those memories back. Feel those symptoms and now…. just accept them. At home.

That’s right. I’m asking you to do the very opposite to what you’d normally think of doing. I’m not saying TRY to do anything. I’m not saying TRY to relax. I’m not saying TRY to divert yourself from your fear-filled thoughts.

I am saying – do absolutely nothing. Accept your feelings. They really have no power to hurt you.Next time you feel the first fluttering of fear and panic think to yourself:

“I know you. You’re nothing to panic about. Come on and do your worst. I know you can’t harm me.
You’re just some throw back to the days when I might have needed to run away from the sabre toothed tiger.”

It seems almost cruel to tell you that if you’ve been experiencing anxiety and panic for a while, you’re the main reason that your fears stay with you.

It’s your fear of the fear-filled symptoms that keep your fear going.

You’re the major part of your problem. But you are also the TOTAL solution.

You already know that there’s no real danger in the freeway – apart from the bad drivers (never you!). Your mind sent the wrong message “danger, danger” to your body. Your body has then had the right reaction to that danger message.

To end with the good news: those messages can be rewritten, re-learned. Cheers, Jeannette

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Rod E. Smith, MSMFT
June 28, 2006 at 3:26 am

Dear Jeannette:

Thanks for your beautiful and helpful and caring response.

Rod Smith

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Cotton Rohrscheib
July 27, 2006 at 2:41 pm

Hi Rod –

I can sympathize w/ your readers situation, been there! About 2 years ago I had my first Anxiety Attack, I thought it was a heart attack, but turns out vitals were just fine? I still don’t understand the mechanics of anxiety attacks but I totally agree w/ what Dr. Kavanaugh mentioned. Tensing up and fighting the thing only makes it worse and of course you will eventually be TKO’d (that’s what I call it, thank goodness hasn’t happened in a while).

I was on the verge of having one in the car once while driving on a very crooked road that really required both hands on the wheel. I had to go to the restroom really bad and I was behind a log hauler and an older retired couple who were doing about 20mph and it was all I could do to keep it on the road. 🙂 I managed to hang onto it by using a technique that I have learned…

It’s really sort of a mind trick thing, and I am sure that you probably have a technique of your own you might use, but what I do is count from zero to 100 by 3’s and when I get to 30,60,90 I say a short prayer thanking God for something in my life I am thankful for. In doing this I think that it somehow works to make you think subconciously (by counting by 3’s) and also think consciously (by praying) at the same time and those positive things slowly counteract the ongoing rushes. Or at least it works for me.

Thought that I might pass along my technique to your reader in hopes that it might help them as well.

Cotton Rohrscheib
http://www.cottonrohrscheib.com

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sagar
January 26, 2007 at 8:18 am

Getting full time panic for fast moving vehicles around us, specially in opposite directions while driving, so it may result to lack of confidence, and a feeling a lack of comfort during driving.
I am very particular in nature. pls help

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Janet
February 4, 2007 at 11:25 am

I first began having panic attacks in the late 70’s and no doctor had a name for it, and I was often dismissed.

In 1987 I was diagnosed with Panic disorder and post traumatic stress and was put on medicine. But all those years prior to knowing what I had, were very daunting to me.

I missed so much in my son’s life and my own life. I was an abused wife for starters and was not even able to escape that horror.

Over time I learned as much as I could about and when I filed for my divorce, ironically the panic vanished and never came back until my second husband died 16 months ago.

I had been told to move on with my grief that he ( my husband was not coming back )I was abandoned by hospice ( they never fulfilled their years obligation to me or my son – the phone stopped ringing and the door bell and the dead of night was horrible.

The first few months, while I was sad that he had died, I still had not had a panic attack. The first one came back last March. I was told point blank, get over it, and move on. I was also told that tears were not necessary when someone dies. After ten weeks with a house guest that thought she was helping, but the time she left, I was spent and the panic came back full force.

Now I know it cant hurt me, I know to stop and breathe even incite them, but to have others just minimize them and tell you that they are not real but only imagined is a bit much. I am NOT able to drive a distance right now. I had a bad accident two years ago, and while I do drive, I drive where I feel comfortable – now I am being pushed to drive quite a distance when I am not ready to. The person will not stop.. push push push… this person also suffers from really bad anxiety – and I would never ever minimize it or dismiss him.

I don’t know what to do. I will deal with the panic as best I can. But I do not know how to deal with people who are selfish and pushing me to do something that I am simply not ready to take on. It is like their saying to me ‘ my anxiety out weighs your fear, so deal with it’.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Have a great day!

Janet

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Carri
July 5, 2007 at 3:48 am

My 19 year old just started having anxiety attacks. He’s a very, almost unusually creative person in every aspect of life, I mention this because he is afraid to take any anti anxiety meds for fear it will dull his creativity. I am at my witts end with this, I feel completely powerless to help him and as his mother, it’s killing me not to be able to do SOMETHING to help him. He’s been told by 3 doctors now that the meds would help him significantly. I’m wondering if there are any drugs out there that are less likely to dull the creativity while still providing the anxiety attack relief that he needs. If anyone has an answer, I’d be really grateful to know it. Thanks

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Beth
April 8, 2008 at 4:30 am

In response to Carri,

As a writer/teacher/quilter, I have a ton of outlets for my creativity but before, in the midst of my four year long battle with panic disorder, I couldn’t concentrate long enough to even finish one project. I would get so consumed by it that I couldn’t stop, and then I’d burn out before I was done…it was a cycle that was not helping my disorder but adding to it, as I now felt more worthless than ever and somehow deserved the panic attacks since I was so flaky. If I couldn’t finish one short story, how could I ever overcome anything as monstrous as panic disorder?

It sounds like your son doesn’t have the same type of issue I did, but I figured I’d throw my two cents in anyway.

8 months ago I started taking 20 mg’s of Prozac daily and went into weekly therapy. For the first time in four years I felt real, actual relief from my disorders and had some semblance of control over my life and emotions. Today I still struggle with certain things – elevators and traffic jams are never going to be my favorite things on earth, but I am no longer house bound or having five or six panic attacks a day. As for my hobbies and projects…I finish them now. I don’t burn out and give up. I don’t feel that I am incapable of finishing them. And I’ve been able to be more creative than ever before in my life, even as a kid. The day I finished my first quilt I sat back, looked at it, and burst into tears of joy…I had finally gotten the best of the beast in the back of my mind!

Tell your son it can’t hurt to try the meds, and it may help tremendously. Tell him to give it a trial run of two months or maybe three, if he isn’t feeling creative anymore he can look for other options for dealing with the attacks.

This is assuming he wants to try the meds. If he’s not, then it won’t help to force the issue.

Either way, in my opinion, the treatment should include a therapist. The relief I finally got was a result of understanding my disorders, myself, and having the boost from the meds to help even things out. I needed a therapist to get me to that point in my life and help me sort things out.

Hope this helps and that your son gets some relief soon.

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Anonymous
September 11, 2008 at 9:09 pm

I am 45 years old and have been having anxiety attacks for almost 10 years now. I get them almost always when I’m driving. I had seven years straight that I had something traumatic happen to me, something major each year.

When I was 32, I had a miscarriage; 33, a baby that was stillborn, 34, another miscarriage; 35, my mom was diagnosed with lymphoma, 36, my mom died; 37, my dad had a heart attack; 38, my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer; 39, my dad came to live with me and passed away, then my grandma died. All the while I was having some health problems of my own, that obviously were made worse by all the stress I had been under.

During one of my arthritic attacks, I had my first anxiety attack, while sitting on my couch. I had the next one several months later while in my doctor’s office, and then a year or so later, had one while driving on the highway. Initially I tried to make myself get back on the highway, but not without severe anxiety. Since then, things have gotten worse. I feel like I am a nut inside of a shell (if that makes sense) and I feel like the shell is gradually getting smaller. I am limited to drive close by my house and if I go outside my “comfort zone”, I feel it coming on and have to fight it. My daughter asks me to take her and her friends places, and most of the time I can not. Early on, I tried to take two different anxiety medicines. These did not work for me. Plus they had sexual and other side effects that I did not like.
I also can not drive across bridges. I almost slid off of a bridge that was icy and how I got out of that one, only God knows.
I wish I could do what the psychologist above suggests. If I were afraid of being in a crowd of people or something like that, I think I would make myself get over it. But when you’re driving 55 + miles an hour, and you get dizzy and can’t see and your heart is racing at 180 beats/minute and you go numb all over, you are not only endangering yourself but everyone in the car with you and everyone around you. Please help.

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AJ
October 21, 2008 at 10:58 am

I had my first anxiety attack, at 49 years of age, when my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in jan of 2007. I felt out of control, I could’nt breathe, I had chest pains, my mind raced. 8 months later my mother passed away unexpectedly and I had the biggest panic attack I ever had, the chest pains were so bad I ended up seeing my physician and a cardiologist both of whom did full work-ups. I was found to be normal. When my father passed away 4 months later, I had pains in my side and again another series of panic attacks. I went to my physician and he ran more tests. The pains in my side was a kidney stone and not cancer as I had imagined myself having. It’s been a year now since I’ve lost both parents. I still have panic attacks sometime severe sometimes not so bad. I am seeing a counselor and she is helping. I know first hand what your readers have shared. All I can say is be strong and know that you are not alone, that there are others that share your pain and that you are loved and cared about, even by those, like me that do not even know you.

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nora
November 20, 2008 at 7:22 am

hi everyone. I’m a 23year old mom of a two year old. i have been dealing with panic attacks since i was 14. i recently started to get them while driving. fast heart beat mind racing sweaty hands… ahhh it’s awful but i have 2 year old so i breathe roll the window down and sometimes pray.i hate that this happens to me.. well hope you all overcome your hear im working on mine slowly but surely.. xo

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Robert R.
December 20, 2008 at 1:33 pm

I am new to all this Anxiety attacks, I have now been having this crap for about two or three months and I am a truck driver, just by reading some of the things that I have today , it seems to be helping already. And I thank u all. And Im going to keep teling myself that I am not “Crazy” !!! Be back soooooooooon.

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John Ryan
January 7, 2009 at 4:15 am

I was drinking quite a lot of coffee each day and I was getting what I thought were panic attacks. Intense fear and a feeling of unreality and deja Vu. Driving home one night I had one of these attacks and it passed off to be shortly followed by another one. The next thing I new was that I was upside down in my car hanging from my seatbelt. From what I can find out these are not panic attacks but partial epilepsy made worse by the coffee I was drinking. So if your panic attacks come with other symptoms such as dizziness, Deja Vu, numbness, unreality, smells or tastes which are not there or even haucinations then consider that it could be partial epilepsy.

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mailinfoto
March 23, 2009 at 2:18 pm

There are a lot of things we should learn in order to eliminate the fear in driving

And forward moving action is the first step on achieving that goal. Having the proper knowledge and skill can also help us on doing that. I want to share to you an article about the 10 Keys in Eliminating Any Fear of Driving.

Alex Hunter who wrote this report really understands the fear that we are all going through right now. He can help you in developing and building your confidence in order to successfully remove any fear you have in driving. i hope this comment helps.

Please click here to read some more.

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Kate
June 10, 2009 at 12:21 pm

I agree with the reply including the book by Dr.Claire Weeks Hope and Help for your Nerves. I’ve read it and recovered and then relapsed lol, well if I could only accept what she wrote in the book-I certanly BELIEVE it, but I gotta accept it..and that’s the final step that’s inhibiting my recovery sadly..I avoid all kinds of situations just INCASE I get an anxiety attack ugh, its annoying, now I can’t even tell if I’m avoiding the situation cause I don’t want to do it or go OR if its cause I”m afraid I’ll have an anxiety attack. Remember everyone no self pity either! I hope the good Lord answers all our prayers for healing.

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Steve O'Hara
June 16, 2009 at 2:52 pm

Hi Jeannette,

Similar to others I have had this problem with driving for 8 years. Very happily married, great family, successful business man, I travel the world so planes no problem lol. I used to cover sales in the UK and do 25,000 miles driving a year. Then started to feel funny driving, it got worse on certain roads, certain places and no idea why.

I have been to two therapists that helped for a short time but long term did not help. I can now only drive locally in town and get the usual symptoms if I think I have got to drive out of town. It is spoiling my life I want to do something about it, I know it is stupid but panicking when driving is a bit different from tackling a spider. Any advice would be greatfully received.

Thank you STEVE

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TAMARA
August 17, 2010 at 10:45 am

I too get anxiety attacks while driving. Crowds, traffic and the fact that I am getting far from home. I will be just fine when I start out..but as soon as traffic starts up…the heart starts racing a little then a little more. I find that drinking a soda has helped me out a lot..slows down my heart rate.

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S Nicole
August 31, 2010 at 12:18 am

I am 26 and just realized that I’m having panic attacks while driving, I get sweaty hands and feet and feel dizzy, like I’m not in my body. It’s weird because Ive always been a good driver, and it’s really starting to effect my life, I don’t want to go far… Stay in my neighborhood… It’s really scary, once had one on the highway when my hands went numb luckly I had others in the car so I pulled over and they took over from there…. I really hope I don’t have this problem my whole life, recently married and my husband doesn’t understand at all… At first I just thought I was going crazy! It’s nice to read all your comments and know that I’m not alone.
Any other good books or stragies would be greatly appriated. Thanks 🙂

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Tiffani S.
November 7, 2010 at 9:44 pm

I am 20 and have just realized I have been having panic attacks. I myself am glad I bumped across this article because the feelings I have been having were described by almost every single one of you guys. I mainly have my anxiety attacks when driving in the car. I was in a very bad car accident when I was 19 and I thought that was the reason I have them. Driving has merely became an obstacle instead of enjoyment, the freedom, which I used to love. My main problem is I try to hide my attacks from other people in fear of them thinking I am just going crazy. The only thing is I have noticed mine are not limited to the car and have increasingly became worse and more frequent. I have been freaking out when at work (i am a walmart cashier) in class, in the car and even sometimes late at night when falling asleep or when I am alone in the house. It almost feels like I am living in fear of the next attack, which they now happen about twice a day almost everyday of the week.

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debi
January 17, 2011 at 2:50 pm

I have been having attacks for the past 6 years now. i got my first one on the beltway. so, i thought i cant drive the beltway for awhile. well, later on i started getting them in short places. I is really bad for me. i own a cab company and, drive for a living. In the past i have had 2 bad car wrecks when i use to drink and drive alot. then i was in a bad wreck while i was working one nite. a bus pulled right out in front of me. and, it was a bad wreck. it took about 5 months then my attacks got worse! I didnt drive for about a year and a half. but, in that time i was getting attacks in the car with other people when i wasnt even driving. im back to work but, still get them very, very bad to were i got to pull over and, have someone who works for me come get me. i have tryed programs and, nothing is working!!!

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Trent
March 13, 2011 at 5:37 am

I am 21 and I have been dealing with anxiety since I was twelve. At first I got them quite often but as I got older they somewhat went away. Then when I started drinking they came back when I got any sort of buzz so I quit. Then a few years went by and I hadn’t had any panic attacks so I started drinking again and everything was fine but then I became a big drinker. Almost every night from when I was 18 til almost 21. Eventually it started taking it’s toll on me. I couldn’t sleep and I never left my house. Then on new years I went out and I had been having chest pains all day but I ignored them and got drunk and then went home and tried to fall asleep and then all of a sudden it happened. The worst panic attack I had ever had. I couldn’t catch my breathe nor could I get my heart beat down. Usually when I go outside and talk that helps but not then. It went on for almost 4 hours. I had to stop myself from calling 911 it was so bad. Ever since that night I couldn’t be alone, couldn’t drive, I couldn’t even shower without there being someone there with me. I have gotten some help since then but not enough. I’m taking zoloft and It has helped but I still cannot drive anywhere other than around my small town except when there’s someone with me then I’m ok. During the day anyways. At night I feel weird like I’m not all there. I don’t know how to explain it but it sucks. I just wish it would go away. I have a kid on the way now and i want to give it a good life but I can’t if I’m stuck here. Please help.

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Krissta
March 16, 2011 at 12:53 pm

I’m glad I came across this article. I googled “anxiety while driving” and it came up. I’ve had anxiety and fears ever sense I can remember. But ever sense I’ve been driving (I’m 19) I’ve had panick attacks. I have to drive to work a few days a week that is an hour away and on the freeway the whole time. On these days I wake up with anexiety and have it the whole way to work. I feel spaced out, dizzy and feel like I’m going to pass out.. It really freaks me out. I fidget with my air conditioning/ heating and music trying to get my self feeling normal again. I hate it more than anything. I think I should go see a Councelor.

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amber
March 17, 2011 at 5:38 pm

I started having anxiety attacks about 5 yrs ago. I ony get them while driving. First it started just on bridges, then highways, and now sometimes when I am sitting at a stop light behind someone feeling trapped. I have never been in a car accident and i used to drive everywhere!!! I don’t understand why this is happening and I am not sure how to deal with it. It is slowly limiting me and I dont want it to because I want to be able to take my kids places and not be scared. I dont get how you can just breathe deep and think good thoughts, it takes over my whole body and i can’t see straight. I hate it! I just want to feel better.

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