anxiety about driving

[anyoldname76]

ive been driving over 20 years, driven small cars to big vans, and all over the country but these last few months ive started to get really anxious about driving. its on my mind constantly, thankfully i dont need to drive to work as i walk instead now, i have shopping delivered so thats another thing i dont have to do but its really affecting normal everday life as im too scared to drive anywhere.

i feel guilty as i was off work over easter and the only places i went with my dc were within walking distance, my dh just thinks im trying be healthy by walking everywhere, i don't think he'll understand.
i had a lift off a friend the other week and even that made me anxious.
i just want to be able get in the car and drive somewhere without my stomach churning.

Do you have any idea what triggered this?
I don't often respond to threads on Mumsnet but yours struck a chord with me because until recently I was a VERY nervous driver, it almost developed into a phobia really. The difference between your anxiety & mine however is mine was present from the beginning & has faded over time following therapy & forcing myself to drive.

So sorry you feel like this. I am in a similar position. I never drive, even though I can. I feel like my kids are missing out cos I can’t take them places.

the only thing i can think what started it was when me and dh were out one day, the power steering developed a fault, dh was driving and managed sort it out. we have rac cover and we got a new to us car.
even now im feeling anxious though as my mum has asked me take her shopping next week, ive hardly slept since she asked me

I’ve been driving for 10 years . Mostly I’m ok. But I still hate it and would rather someone else did the driving wherever possible. See my recent post about rage . This has now knocked me again . So many things can go wrong while driving but I also find the same worries in every other aspects of life, such as pushing a trolley round a supermarket.

I've had issues with driving for about 5 years now. I known it stems from a lack of confidence when I was learning plus a couplenof incidents having to drive in the ice and snow in the dark.

Having said that, a couple of years back I managed to go from getting panicky just seeing a blue motorway sign (let alone drive on the motorway!) to being able to drive on the motorway for a 3 hour journey. I got stuff help via my GP with free CBT and did graded exposure therapy. I found it really worked.

You have to really work at it and keep it up regularly, but once you start improving you get so much more confidence. I also couldn't have done it without my husband's understanding and a friend who is a flying instructor in the passenger seat a few times - I figured he's used to people freaking out!

You might find this worksheet useful: www.talkplus.org.uk/downloads_folder/Graded_Exposure.pdf

I've had a bit of a setback recently but now that the weather's better and it's lighter I am getting much better.

Hope this helps in some way.

I didn’t need to drive for ages and then was scared when I had to again. I had driving lessons, like a refresher course. I’m still not keen on driving but they got me through my bad patch so at least, as you say, you can take the kids out.

Havè you thought about having a couple of lessons with a qualified instructor?