Sudden panic attack whilst driving. Please help.

[ClipClop]

Hi All,

Having felt very proud with myself for going through five years of therapy after a family tragedy, dealing with sudden unemployment, anxiety and panic attacks successfully (hadn't had a panic attack for two years) I felt brave enough to relocate my entire life to a different city where I know no-one (other than my hubby) and start a new career. All the 'life' stuff has been going great, largely due to all the therapy I've had.

However, a couple of weeks ago (one week into my new move) I suddenly had a panic attack on a dual carriageway whilst doing a dummy run to my new job. It was overwhelming and terrifying and I felt trapped and like I couldn't pull over without causing a terrible accident. I came off at the next junction and it took two hours to get myself home.

Since, I've been doing local driving and one stint on the dual carriageway again with a driving instructor, but I am still terrified. I just tried it again today and, even though I have done it before, I suddenly freaked out before getting to the slip road and pulled over on the grass verge. My husband had to drive back. I think it is the 'not being able to pull over' feeling on fast/A-roads which gets to me.

I've been in contact with my therapist again who wants to do three phone sessions with me, but the first session (which I've just had) he was just asking about my life rather than how to deal with panic. He thinks my anxiety about moving has manifested in the driving as it symbolises relocation.

The problem isn't my driving, I am historically a very good driver and still am. But I just don't know how to safely deal with a panic attack AND drive. Please, has anyone mastered this??

I am currently getting the train to work but this isn't sustainable long term.

As anyone successfully dealt with this problem??

I feel so ashamed, frustrated and sad that anxiety is 'back'.

Thank you for reading all this.

[ankietyjoe]

The only thing you can really do is just get on with driving and live with the anxiety while you do, it's the crux of CBT and any form of recovery.

Even if it means driving for 20 miles whilst feeling anxiety, just keep control of your breathing and carry on.

Nothing bad will happen, you'll just feel bad.

I used to have exactly the same thing, in fact my first ever experience of panic was sitting in slow moving traffic on the M25.

Maybe have a few sessions of driving on the motorway with your husband in the car, but this time don't pull over. Just allow yourself to experience through the anxiety and keep on driving. It'll come and go, but just let it be.

[ClipClop]

Hi there,

Thank you so much for your reply :-)

May I ask if you found it difficult to drive after your M25 experience? (Sorry to hear about that by the way.) How did you get through it?

I totally understand that I just need to feel the fear; that method has certainly worked when I was previously dealing with panic. I suppose I have just never had to do it in a situation when I'm in control of my life and others' (I.e. Driving). I've only ever dealt with it when a passive situation. How can I do that? Has anyone overcome this?

I find it's the thoughts that get me. The idea that I will panic, lose control, pull over or some other catastrophic action. I just can't pull up the courage to try sometimes because I don't know how to control the thoughts?

I feel so frustrated and kinda angry with myself. I've just moved and I don't have the energy to be dealing this :-(

[ankietyjoe]

It's really the same whether you do it in an isolated situation or whether you're driving.

You're not suddenly going to lose control just because you're behind the wheel, no more so than the idea that you'll jump in front of a bus simply because you're walking down the street and feeling anxiety.

I did used to avoid driving on motorways as much as possible, and when I did I would religiously stick to the inside lane 'just in case'.

Ultimately you have to realise that's what's bothering you are just thoughts though. The 'what if' thought process is what's causing the issue, not the driving.

To combat THAT, I eventually found meditation to be the ultimate fix. Without going into great detail, meditation is a tool that allows you to train your brain to not react to thought. That's not to say that you don't have thought, it just means that you don't react to it in an incontrolled and panicky manner. Meditation has cured my anxiety to the point where it doesn't exist in my life any more, and I was diagnosed with chronic anxiety in many forms. It allowed me to not have to take medication to cure it. So it's worth trying.

[izzybizzy]

Hi I’m currently learning to drive, every lesson I was nervous but didn’t panic, I even did the duel carriageway a few times and I was fine. Then one of my lessons we got on the duel carrigeway and bam massive panic attack, I was shaking, I thought I was going to cause an accident, I didn’t and we managed to pull over, I couldn’t get back in the drivers seat for ages. I was convinced I couldn’t go on the duel carriageway again but my instructor was having none of it, he told me I could but we would build it up in small bits so we did small stretches, I panicked the next lesson but not as bad as before, and we went round and round doing these small stretches, I’m ok on them again, don’t get me wrong I’m still nervous of it happening again. But please know you can get back in the road, just try small stretches first with your husband in the car etc, and lots of slow controlled breathing, I find having the air con on helps me and making sure to concentrate on stuff like my mirrors then my speeds etc, keeping my mind busy x

[ankietyjoe]

Hi I’m currently learning to drive, every lesson I was nervous but didn’t panic, I even did the duel carriageway a few times and I was fine. Then one of my lessons we got on the duel carrigeway and bam massive panic attack, I was shaking, I thought I was going to cause an accident, I didn’t and we managed to pull over, I couldn’t get back in the drivers seat for ages. I was convinced I couldn’t go on the duel carriageway again but my instructor was having none of it, he told me I could but we would build it up in small bits so we did small stretches, I panicked the next lesson but not as bad as before, and we went round and round doing these small stretches, I’m ok on them again, don’t get me wrong I’m still nervous of it happening again. But please know you can get back in the road, just try small stretches first with your husband in the car etc, and lots of slow controlled breathing, I find having the air con on helps me and making sure to concentrate on stuff like my mirrors then my speeds etc, keeping my mind busy x

Spot on, good for you

[ErinKC]

Try not to associate the panic attack with driving. You almost certain had a panic attack, like your therapist things, because the overwhelm of moving to a new place has caused your anxiety to surface. You just happened to be in the car when it happened.

I have bad anxiety but I'm not much for panic attacks. However, a few months ago when my anxiety was creeping its way back in after almost a year without I had a panic attack while driving with my daughter in the car. It came out of absolutely nowhere - suddenly I couldn't catch my breath, I got dizzy and sweaty, etc... But I was on a windy country road with nowhere to pull over so I had to keep going and be safe because of my daughter. I took a sip of water to clear the lump in the throat, turned up the music and started singing along, and was able to push through it.

Then, a week or so later I was finishing up running errands, again with my daughter, and another panic attack hit me out of nowhere. This one was much worse and I couldn't catch my breath at all, my heart was pounding, and I couldn't see straight, so I pulled over into a parking lot and called my husband to calm down. It only took a few moments, but I was able to collect myself and continue on.

There was a moment when I though, shit, now I'm going to be afraid to drive. But, then I realized that my anxiety has nothing to do with driving. The car is a good place for anxiety to strike I suppose since we're "trapped" but I made myself realize that I couldn't have had those panic attacks anywhere and the way to deal with it was to continue on with life and focus on the anxiety in general, not the car as a catalyst.

I was able to continue driving as normal and work through my anxiety with my therapist and haven't had any issues in the car since.

[suemarieee]

I have the same issue with motorways. i wish I could get over it as it's so restrictive :(

[Carnation]

AJ, my first major panic attack was driving on the M25 and its the worst feeling I have ever felt. It gave me such a phobia of driving, but I realise now it was more my thinking than the car or driving.
Driving becomes second nature and you go in to autopilot. I was also able to continue driving perfectly safely after pulling over in the lay by and speaking to my o/h. I also found a good cry calming, as fight or flight can not exist if you are crying, can it?
The fear is always what might happen for me.

[DustingMyselfOff]

Sorry so many of us deal with this, but there is some comfort in it, too. I have had panic attacks on the highways many times, and they are the most terrifying thing I deal with through my 40+ years of anxiety and panic attacks. Unfortunately I have never been able to continue on through a panic attack while driving, I always get off the next exit. I truly think I could cause an accident and harm others (as well as myself) if I don't pull over. I try to keep breathing, I try to convince myself that I won't really faint, but I freeze up so badly that I have to get off ASAP before I hurt someone.

It seems my anxiety levels fluctuate, probably like everyone's, so when I'm going through a non-anxious phase of my life, I get on the highways and actually enjoy them. But then when something happens to bring the anxiety back, I avoid the highways until the phase of anxiety passes (usually a week or two).

I'm not sure that's the best way to deal with it, I probably SHOULD try to keep getting on while I'm in a panicky state, but at my age, I figure I'm better off being kind to myself and just doing what I can, when I can, and stop fighting and struggling when I don't have to.
Sue