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

[InAPickle12345]

Really need some help after the day I’ve had.

I’ve always loved cars, always loved driving. Been driving since 17 with my own car, have driven the length and breadth of the country, a day off always involved jumping in the car, driving and exploring for hours. But the last 6 months I have been developing a serious driving anxiety.

Started with not being comfortable on motorways, then progressed to being really nervous coming into bends and now if I see an open road in front of me my body goes into panic. Roads in my locality that I drive often are completely fine.

The last 2 ‘long’ drives I’ve had to do have been horrendous, and frankly dangerous. Any bend, unevenness, or a wide stretch of road in front of me has pretty much brought on a panic attack. Hands sweating, legs shaking, chest thumping and feeling like my vision is about to go.

The first was after a weekend away, and lots of drinks, so I just put it down to being hungover and fragile. I had to pull in 3 times, once for 40mins, in the space of a 1 hour journey.

Today I had a two hour journey that I had to do for work, I was about 30mins into it and it began. Had to pull in, gathered myself but was on the verge of a panic attack for the whole journey there and back. I’m home now and my heart is still thumping and I have a terrible headache.

I have a certain amount of driving to do for my job and I’m a single Mum so I NEED to tackle this.

So as not to drip feed, I've suffered from general anxiety through the years but with medication and counselling I pretty much overcame it.

I was also in a couple of car accidents, 1 serious when I was 14 and another not so serious when I was about 29. I'm 35 now.

Has anyone overcome this? How do I do this? Counselling, hypnotism, medication?

All advice welcome, I really need to get on top of this.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Oh my goodness, I just started another thread under a different username… one tick and I’ll see if I can link it!

Have a read of this @Scotgirl93… in totally shocked and absolutely elated!

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5462997-to-think-a-multivitamin-may-have-cured-my-crippling-driving-anxiety?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share