Anxiety when I drive over mountain.

[snowghost57]

I have come a long way since I joined this group 6 months ago. I have made friends here and I have received tremendous support.

I started a new job and when I had to go to the home office for training I had to drive over a mountain. Its not a very tall mountain, however there are two very large curves that are on the edge of the mountain so when you look out you see the tops of trees. It gets foggy and when it snows its terrible. People have been killed on this mountain and there is an accident every day. If I'm in the outer lane, my palms sweat, my heart pounds and I tense up. My thoughts go out of control, like the car is going to leap over the edge. Now I know this is silly. I now drive in the left lane where it is not close to the edge which does help.

Driving in the fast lane (left lane) even at 65 mph people have road rage and will race around me, cut me off or tail gate me. This mountain is used by a lot of people as it links one county (where I live) to a larger city on the other side. Employers pay higher wages so many people travel for work.

How can I conquer my fear of going over this mountain? I have tried breathing, focusing just on the lane I'm in. Next year my job will be on the other side of this mountain and I just don't know how I'm going to cope. I'm a lot better then I used to be.

I have conquered my anxiety in other aspects of my life. This mountain is one thing I have to beat. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi snowghost :flowers:

Well I think the thing here is a more rational waryiness that is pretty normal but we can be sensitised so we feel the inner feelings and add to them. It's like how excitement can be a worry as some of the physical feelings are similiar to anxiety so we worry we will "tip over" into anxiety or panic.

How many times have you done this? It could be because it's new and you are pushing boundaries. If so, repetition might solve it alone.

There is the obvious issue of not responding to thoughts & symptoms with negatives so that we don't add to it. This ones very much a big part of recovery though so practicing it here will just add to that for you.

Do you give yourself plenty of time for the journey? And plenty of time before? I always found rushing around before hand and rushing to places would tense me up a lot and open the door to all this.

[snowghost57]

Yes I do allow myself plenty of time. I really try to relax, its just that as soon as I start to go up the mountain my body tenses. I actually found myself holding the steering wheel in a death grip. When I'm on other parts of the interstate I remind myself this is no different then the mountain. I've been scared of heights after I had my children. I can't even get on a Ferris wheel anymore. I used to when I was a kid. I am hoping repetition will help me over come this fear. Thanks for responding.

[pulisa]

I would say that you are experiencing perfectly normal anxiety when negotiating a dangerous route. It's not irrational at all to have fear in these circumstances so as Terry says you have to keep as safe as possible and give the speeding idiots a wide berth and be as cautious as you need to be.

I suppose in time and with regular practice driving this route will become more routine but to start with you are going to be going into adrenaline mode and will feel very uncomfortable..but knowing your determination to overcome fear and panic you will find a way to dampen down these physical feelings in order to reach your destination safely. I really admire your bravery to challenge yourself in order to reach your goals.

[Fishmanpa]

I'm in the Blue Ridge of VA so I'm constantly driving winding mountain roads as I perform in the Shenandoah National Park. I don't have a fear of it but from a general perspective, it really is challenging driving. I even drive a fire road at times. That sucker is steep, rough and narrow! You have to really focus and pay attention for wildlife, especially at night. I get how having to focus in light of your fear would pose some additional challenges.

I think you're doing the right things by trying to relax and give yourself plenty of time. Perhaps think of this as forced exposure therapy. What other choice do you have? I believe by doing it, you'll eventually feel more confident and thus more relaxed. Keep at it! Don't allow your fear and anxiety to affect your job and livelihood.

Positive thoughts