To ask if anyone has advice for sudden crippling driving anxiety.

I know this is an old thread.. is there any update.. are you able to enjoy driving again?
I am 32 and all of a sudden came over me while on motorway, got so hot and sweaty, heart rate through the roof, though I was going to faint and finally managed to pull over.
Ever since then I have avoided motorways and stuck to short journeys.
I love driving and its very depressing this is happening.
Any info would be great
Thanks.

Maybe not menopause but perimenopause. Driving anxiety is a menopause symptom. Check out perimenopause symptoms and talk to your doctor. 7

After a horrible accident (not my fault!) I did a short course of EMDR with a private therapist, & that helped a lot.

I haven’t RTFT but suggest you take some driving lessons to build up your confidence again. It helped my mother when she lost confidence.

Goodness! I started to feel this in the past two years. I first noticed it in Santorini. I couldn't drive up the cliff edge and back in the UK I got so anxious on an A road and can't go on the motorway. I'd driven on the motorway in at least three continents, six lanes in the US, a high shaky pot holed bridge several times in Africa, sometimes with no street lights. I don't understand what happened. I'm not menopausal. I came on this section cos couple of months ago I used medication that puts one in a menopausal state.

Im so relieved to have found this thread!! I genuinely thought I was having a breakdown at points. I also think my Mum probably had similar and I was less than sympathetic as a youngster 😞

I partly blame mine on covid and not driving as much. I used. To drive all over the country, wouldn’t think anything of driving for 8 hours on the motorway in a day, happy to cruise along in outside lane (overtaking 😇) and it’s like a switch has flipped.

I feel like I’m not grounded, and just need to stop the car. I really struggle with a trapped feeling. I have beta blockers but not tried them yet. I’ve had to exit the motor way at times. I’ve no advice though. I’ve thought about lessons, but I KNOW what to do, I was a v good driver. It’s like my balance / gravity has gone.

I haven’t suffered from anxiety in the past, but also have developed a weird public speaking one of late. Maybe it’s all connected

I’m a driving instructor, so have to regularly stop others driving me off the road! Everyone else has said lots of helpful stuff but I’m wondering about you doing some fun driver training. You say you worry about coming off a bend in a low, high performance car and possibly getting into a bigger, higher car instead. I chose a car with sports suspension in mind of its road holding abilities for learners, higher cars just don’t corner as well, stick with what you have. If you could take your car to a track day of some sort and be supported by a professional hammering it through bends I think you’d fall back in love again. It’ll directly disprove this feeling you’re going to come off the road (if you’re anxious you’ll be slow, trust me it doesn’t happen, I have plenty of time to yank the steering back to the right place with a nervous learner).

Failing that, maybe a few sessions with a pleasant understanding instructor might be enough to make you see that your fear is misplaced, responsibility for safety won’t just be in your hands and you’ll be coached through what you’re doing.

Driving is really good fun, you loved it before, you’ll get it back.

I find my anxiety is generally a barometer of how I’m feeling at the time. If there’s lots of stress generally I’m far more anxious, so maybe look at how to reduce stress generally. I picture it as being a bit like a pressure cooker and that panic is a release of tension. Trouble is once you have one it becomes situation specific and your fear then becomes of having that fear again. But maybe doing the stuff everyone has suggested will have an impact, it’s about reframing it - hence me wondering about a fun driving experience with a professional to ensure you’re ok.

OP I’m hoping that my story will give you some hope. I developed driving anxiety when I was in my 40s. Like you I’d enjoyed driving before and had driven all over the country. I think for me it was a combination of having generalised anxiety and a stressful life. I would feel trapped in the car, especially at speed, and would feel terrified that I was going to crash or drive off the road. I started Sertraline which helped a bit, but I would still dread each journey. I didn’t drive on motorways for 17 years. What really helped me was listening to a driving anxiety hypnosis audio on YouTube by Glenn Harrold. His voice takes a bit of getting used to, but it really did help. I also practised the ‘grounding’ technique, where if I started to panic I would focus on where my body was touching the car seat and sort of sink into that feeling. Gradually I started to be able to drive on all roads except motorways. Then two years ago my mother had an accident and was in hospital an hour away - only really accessible by motorway. My worry about her forced me to do the drive the first time and then I just kept doing it as she was in hospital for months. So kind of like exposure therapy I guess. Gradually I lost my fear and now, at 63, I can drive anywhere. I never thought I’d be able to do this. It’s a horrible thing, but if I can over it, anyone can.

it was probably about 3 weeks from the “I need to get this sorted” moment to “I’m getting on top of this”. I got an appointment the counsellor within a few days, she told me to get back behind the wheel, I saw my GP a few days after that, I knew I needed something to take the edge off the fear. But propranolol was a game changer, making it impossible to have a panic attack, and that gave me so much confidence

I remember thinking the same, feeling it was a very odd anxiety to suddenly have but this thread proves otherwise :).

That's a good idea, don't make it all about the driving, converse like normal when you're out and it's less of a 'thing'.

I hope your confidence is back soon x

I should add, to echo some others, I too suffer with general anxiety which flares every now and again. I have never taken meds or had any form of therapy.

OP I experienced the exact same thing a few years back. Seemed to come out of nowhere and got progressively worse over a few months. I had been driving - confidently - for 12 years before it. I too had been in a couple of accidents before that, even had a car written off after someone rammed in to side of me, but I didn't link it to that as I was fine for many months/years post accidents. It just came on suddenly one day for me and got progressively worse. The only thing, in hindsight, was that got a new car not long before it started so that's the only thing I can possibly connect it with, it was also my first RWD car and it was quite sporty so maybe subconsciously I was aware it was different to what I was used to.

It got to the point I also felt unsafe on unfamiliar roads and I gave myself a fright going round bends, particularly on motorways and would brake or manoeuvre in a way that isn't recommended because I was nervous.

I spoke openly about it to my DH and friends. I asked my hubby to drive my car for a bit on 'these roads' in a safe but confident way so I could observe silently. I think it got better for me when I seen how well the car handled, even on wet roads (or context I was always worried about spinning out of control on bends). I also would take deep breaths coming up to a bend and would tell myself "this is fine, you're a good driver, cars are made to drive around bends".

I can't say for sure how long it took for me to get over it. But I did. Totally confident in the drivers seat again, well, most of the time :-), and 2 more new cars later. Seemed to be a one off for me.

I hope this doesn't spiral for you or continue much longer. It's a horrible feeling.

OP - I've just been out, and driven there/back in monsoon conditions on a dual carriageway, with no anxiety at all (other than not enjoying the weather) thankfully everyone was taking their time and driving to the conditions. This would have been unthinkable when my anxiety started, but I just wanted to give you this example of how the problem is fixable.

My driving anxiety (thanks to perimenopause) actually manifests more when others are driving. I’m an awful back seat driver as I hate not being in control. I actually have nightmares about trying to drive from the back seat, not being able to control the car. One of my main concerns is people not leaving enough space in front, which I think is triggered by witnessing two car crashes happen directly in front of me. Because I’d left space, I was luckily able to avoid the smash. I also hate being driven when there are steep inclines or descents and am fearful of roundabouts on a high-speed road (scared we won’t stop in time).

I’m currently worrying about a long drive next week when I’m behind the wheel, as I haven’t driven alone on a motorway for a long time.

I’ve googled binocular vision dysfunction. My mum suffers from it (didn’t know that’s what it was called) so perhaps I’ve inherited that. I have a bad astigmatism which makes things a bit fuzzy at night.

Good luck OP with seeking sources of support xx

I’ve recently read about binocular vision dysfunction and it was a lightbulb moment for me - so much of it makes sense. From “panic” attacks on motorways even though I love driving, being overwhelmed in busy/public places, neck tension and holding my head at an angle. I go to the optician every year but this apparently isn’t something that’s normally looked for. I’ve got an appointment next week for them to look specifically for this.

I went through this about 25 years ago. It started with anxiety about driving at night, then went on to driving in heavy rain, then driving at anytime.
My work then introduced free eye testing for those with heavy VDU use and to my surprise I needed glasses. I hadn't noticed my loss of vision and wearing the glasses made everything more colourful and sharper. This 'coincided' with my anxiety around driving disappearing.
It's a long shot, but perhaps check your vision, even if it's not obvious to you that things are as sharp as they were?

This happened to me,it was a peri menopause symptom.I started symptoms at 35years..I knew I was peri menopausal but did not figure the driving anxiety was a part of it for some time…I still have it,I manage day to day but don’t enjoy driving anymore.I need to sleep well,excercise daily,be mindful of how I am feeling,recognise when I am feeling overwhelmed to help manage this odd anxiety…