Delayed Reaction while driving?

[Gryphoenix]

Hi everybody,

I'm new to driving even though I'm only 21, I've had my permit since I was 15 but never really was much of a driver and I'm pretty nervous while driving, so I don't have my Lisence yet.

Lately I've had excellent progress and I'm so much more confident now and I think I might be able to take the test now (I've failed it twice before when I was like 17 or so).

I was driving right onto a bridge and there's this slightly scary bit where you have to merge into the road to get to the bridge. It wasn't really that bad since my dad was there to help me decide when to go, and I merged quite nicely. I wasn't that confident while doing so however, and an evil little thought wormed its way into my head about how I was probably lucky and I didn't actually use skill to make that move and if I'm not careful next time I could crash.

Next thing I knew I was calming a racing heart down and breathing hard and feeling panicky. I didn't have an attack, fortunatley, but I was about halfway there. I was already on the bridge and I was freaking out about not being able to stop since there was, of course, not really any place to pull over on top of the rise or on the bridge itself, and I didn't want to spoil the sucess I've had recently with my Dad teaching me. I had the oddest feeling of wanting to just STOP the forward velocity, the speed was bothering me. So I just held on and a few minutes passed and I felt much better, if not a little jittery for the rest of the night.

It makes me mad because I have been anxiety-free for the longest time and now that I had that I've been quite anxious the last couple of days and that feeling has stuck with me and I feel like I'm reverting to how I was a few months ago.

And what's really weird is that there wasn't any big concrete reason for feeling panicky--like being scared of an elevator or something, and it happened a few moments after what I was worried about, all delayed and everything.

So anyway, thanks for reading this long post.

[angiebaby]

Hello there. I would just like to say that there doesn't have to seem like there is a reason for a panic attack. I have had lots of instances that i can recall where one has just seemed to 'spring' out of nowhere and for no apparent reason. This is horrible isn't it, but it happens to most of us. You did the right thing, even though you felt like you had no choice in the matter at the time, you kept going and pushed through it, well done. This will help to teach your body that there really isn't anything to be scared of, but once will not do it, your brain needs to remember, so it has to be consistant. Like CBT. Well done for doing so well.xx

[RichB]

Yeah, there's no need to have a REASON for being anxious and driving is one of the more common activites that cuase panic, especially on bridges.

[Gryphoenix]

Thanks for your encouragement everybody, I feel much better.