Overcoming Anxiety and Panic Attacks While Driving

Good afternoon honestly I don't like taking any medication also no I am not in therapy. I have never been in a accident thank the Lord for that this fear came out of nowhere because I used to drive on the highway now I am petrified but I do need to somehow get over this fear because it prevents me from a lot of things.

😥 thank God nothing happened. To you.

I feel you, I tried driving once and was ran off the road by a tractor trailer. I haven't driven since

Are you in therapy of any kind? Usually a fear of something has some connection to a trauma. I didn't drive til I was 26 because my mother was legally blind and had crashed with me in the car way too many times when I was little. She rolled our car 4 times once, t boned a teenager who she almost killed.. my fear turned out to be not of driving necessarily, but a fear of people like my mother driving near me. Therapy did help a lot, and learning to acclimate myself to driving itself, down long country roads and empty parking lots, til I felt very confident and my car felt like an extension of myself, before I moved on to small towns, then larger roads, etc. Deep breathing sounds very silly and ineffective as well but I can assure you- when we get into panic mode, our breathing becomes very shallow and panicky. Deep breaths counter this feeling. You're reminding your body there really is no danger (at least on an empty road or parking lot) and that you're in control. The freedom I have now and control I feel over my life was worth all the work it took. And I was really fortunate to live near quiet places to practice.

Have you talked to a doctor about it? They have medications they can describe that may help, and therapy can help as well. You’re doing the right thing by seeking help