Does anybody have panic attacks while driving? It happens to me and it's terrifying.

[Pianolady69]

What do others do if you have experienced panic attacks while driving?

[Agora1]

Hi Pianolady, unfortunately panic attacks can present themselves anywhere at anytime

when we are under stress. There are some quick tips I could give you but in the long run

it's really about preparing yourself with methods to override the fear starting at home.

Always carry a bottle of water with you in the car, maybe a wintergreen mint that will

have you focus on the taste and not the fear. Chewing gum is also helpful because it

allows movement of your muscles which helps alleviate the tension.

Getting your breathing back on track is a very important part in driving w/o panic.

*since most of the time it's the breathing that is off because we start to mouth breathe

and shallow breathe causing the body to think you are in danger when you are not.

The methods that can help you with driving are found in Meditation/Breathing using

affirmations. This is a learned method of control which must be done 3x a day while

at home (morning, midafternoon and night) As your subconscious mind absorbs these

verbal thoughts, your confidence will grow. If this fear of driving is a deep seated fear

therapy to address the situation will help immensely. This is just the tip of the iceberg

but hopefully can allow you to know that this doesn't have to be a forever fear.

Welcome to this site. Breathe xx

[Pianolady69 in reply to Agora1]

Thank you so much ❤

[Frankie24]

I have had panic attacks while driving most of my life. I still can’t do highway driving. Unless I am very manic. I ventured out with other people I felt safe with at first and always kept a paper bag with me so I could pull over and calm myself if I needed. I liked to jog and bike but had bad panic with this also so I set up routes that would take me past people’s house and places I knew in case I needed to stop. Eventually with repetition and medication I was able to comfortably function in these situations. I also went to many groups on dealing with Anxiety and panic.

[Pianolady69 in reply to Frankie24]

thanks for texting me back Frankie's

[mareschultz]

I used to have them all the time while driving until I started taking Prozac. When I absolutely had to drive somewhere, I had this strange solution but it worked for me (along with having an open window and a lot of fresh air). I would visualize myself as my best friend, and I kept repeating “I am Megan and I do this all the time. I have no problem with driving.” I made myself believe I could do it and miraculously, I actually did. I still can’t drive beyond 50 miles of my house unless someone is in the car with me. I also can’t take public transportation or fly. Panic attacks can make life seem like a prison.

[Pianolady69 in reply to mareschultz]

thanks so much for texting me back. I really appreciate it.

[designguy]

It's actually a common place to have panic attacks. You might benefit from getting the DARE Anxiety book and watching their youtube videos for how to constructively deal with panic/anxiety. There is also a video about driving and panic on their website or youtube channel. You might also like their phone app, it's like having your own private coach, I even signed up for their advance version for a while that helped me through a rough patch.

[Midori]

Hi there,

Are you in the States? In Britain, Driving schools do refresher courses, as do some Police forces. I used to take a police one every 2 or 3 years. Also we have Advanced Driver's Courses.

You might find one useful, rather than panic while driving and cause an accident.

Cheers, Midori

[Pianolady69]

I appreciate your kind words, I wish breathing was in my "Tool Belt" it gets worse for me, because I hyperventilate and had a seizure 2 times because my breathing i judt couldn't cope.....thankfully I had someone driving...... I'll try Visuliation for tomorrow's Cardiology Appt. Thanks so much for such kind and helpful words..... the breathing technique doesn't work for me.

[Ih8going2work]

I've been having driving panic attacks since February of this year. I was in a bad car accident back in 2021 but I was driving fine until this year. I have good and bad days. I can't go a certain radius from the house and if I have to go somewhere someone has to come with me. I've done breathing exercises, biting on a lemon wedge, and chanting but nothing works. I'm looking into hypnotherapy this week. I'll keep you posted