Fear of driving on the motorway

Common Questions and Answers about Fear of driving on the motorway

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Avatar f tn About 20 years ago I started to become anxious and panicky when motorway driving especially left hand bends . Now I don't drive at all on motorways(freeways) ,the panic is worse when the road is empty than when there's a lot of traffic. It feels as though the right hand side of the car is falling away. I usually end up crawling along at 30mph as close to the left hand edge as possible. Even dual carriageways are bad now.
Avatar n tn I have good days and bad days. The key is you have to keep driving or the fear will over come you. The solution is once you don't care anymore about having a panic attack while driving, you will tend not to have them. I have spent numerous hours and years researching this topic. I highly recommend the follwing resources to help you over-come this fear of driving. In my opinion they are priceless and well worth the money.
Avatar f tn Hi everyone, I am having some problems with a whistling noise in my ears and my balance, let me tell you how it all started, please bear with me, so about 8 months ago, I was changing the oil in my car, as I dropped the sump bolt out, quite a lot of oil went into my right ear canal, I got as much out as I could, I will come back to this later, I have since tried warm olive oil and otex in my ear and there is still bits of oil on a ear bud I when I use them, on Feb 26 if this year, I was driving
Avatar m tn it has really picked up in the past year due to coming across sued needles on the ground. I seem to come across most of them on the roads while driving. but every time I see one, my anxiety sky rockets. I have a fear of even driving by a used needle and thinking it could be contaminated with hepatitis b or c. its as though I fear blood from the needle will get on my car or tires and then on to me. really cant comprehend how to deal with this.
1074864 tn?1256932915 You are not actually fearful of driving or travelling itself, but rather the fear of losing control if you have another panic attack. This is because when we have a panic attack, the first thing we want to do is to retreat to our "safe place", which for most people is our home. The further away from our comfort zone, the more uncomfortable we feel.
Avatar f tn Do some deep breathing in the car, roll the window down, turn on music and try not to hyper focus on either the person driving and if you are driving, keep those deep breaths going. But I think it will help to discuss some medication with your doctor dear. I really do. Lots of luck and I know it is hard.
Avatar n tn I too struggle with panic attacks and the fear of them returning. Have you talked to your dr about this? You might want to consider talking with a therapist. I do know that if you let the fear take over your mind it is only going to get worse. The best advice I can give you is to talk to someone and try to face the fear. Get back in your car and go for a drive even if it is only around the block. Each time you do it it will get easier. You have to take your control back.
2019697 tn?1334150247 I know I have all my marbles and my head screwed on but I just dont feel right. I feel on the verge of panic constantly. When I do calm down, it is an uneasy calm I've been through this many times but it is still hard. Can anyone offer advice? Eventhough I am going through this on the inside, my outward self probably looks the same to everyone.
Avatar m tn I too suffered from many of the same symptoms outlined in so many of the posts. Over a year later, I'm able to drive without too much distress and dizziness. While it is not perfect, I am no longer petrified of driving. I'll give more of my details and bio at the bottom of the post, but here are the actions that I took to improve my case: 1) I underwent Balance Retraining Therapy.
Avatar m tn i was driving confidently for the last 8 years. suddenly start to fear driving especially curves...now i could not take the vehicle in the middle of the road..i try to avoid and automatically i drive on left side of the road instead of straight...so i loose balance..i am sittiting also slightly towards left...this problem is giving me sleepless night...please advise me..........
8377023 tn?1399509160 My biggest fear out of everything is my water breaking while driving their car. I am absolutely terrified that this is going to happen. I have already gotten contractions while driving with one of the twins, thankfully the contractions weren't crazy bad, and this happened today. I dont know what to do besides calling their aunt, Chris, my mom and my doctor. Like what should I tell their aunt if that happens? To just meet me at the hospital or what?
1785438 tn?1314987935 t want to be on such heavy medication for the rest of my life, so I decided to go off the meds. I really didn't have a plan when I stopped taking my meds. The klonopin, I sort of tapered off, but the celexa I just stopped taking because I ran out and didn't go pick up the next script. I want to get better and not be on the meds because I want to have a baby in the near future. I don't want to be on anything when I want to try and get pregnant.
105530 tn?1279585282 I am terrified of turkeys. Live turkeys. When I lived on a farm in middle school we had turkeys and I swear they were plotting my death. They would chase after me clucking and pecking at my feet. They were trying to trip me so they could pluck at my eyes out, I just know it. I tried to make an egg nog custard pie last year for Christmas, Paula Dean made it with her son Jamie. I LOVE egg nog and I was so excited to have everyone try it.
Avatar f tn you are not a huge baby,you obviously have fears we all have them mine are spiders and motorways,your are movies and needles,i feel physically sick sweats heart goes and everything on motorway,i just try to avoid them,not always possible like the needles,if you have to go for anymore needles explain to them about your fear so they can try and keep you calm,as for the films most of them are s*** now so just give them a miss.
1804812 tn?1329677557 No, I would call for help, someone would come get me, and my car would be towed away. The more you replace the FEAR with FACT, it takes the power out of the panic. I would often tell myself those kinds of things..."No one in the history of man has ever been stuck in a traffic jam for life, it's a temporary problem." I have also found that distraction works well. Like you said, maybe talk to someone on the phone (safely of course).
3159640 tn?1430907300 t know why I am fixated on thinking there is a needle out there in the environment that is going to stick me. I am afraid of not being able to control everything and for some reason HIV needles have lodged in my brain so to speak!
Avatar f tn Bump
Avatar f tn Hello. I'm 17 and lately have been struggling with the fact that I can't drive without thinking I ran someone over. I get so worried and depressed and will check the news daily. Today as I was getting gas I happened to glance over and see a little boy with his mom at the pump connected to mine on the opposite side and obviously didn't think anything of it. I got in my car and headed on my way to the store and then my mind started with questions like where was the little boy?
Avatar f tn need I say more? The fear of being stuck in traffic and suddenly needing to go is a real fear based on a real problem. Generally I prepare for trips, and if shopping, make it a focused shop. No more aimless driving. I have to have a plan and stick to it. Same in stores: meandering around in a hugh store is sure to bring on panic. So again I now plan and stick to it. One department for shoes. No checking out several stores or departments.
Avatar m tn I'm trying to find out if anyone has had a similar situation to mine and how they've dealt with it. For the past month I've had anxiety about driving on the interstate, especially when I think I might get stuck in traffic. It started when I had some stomach bug which caused me to get extremely nauseous when I was driving and I had to pull over ASAP and find a place to vomit or use the bathroom.
Avatar n tn I have son who just turned 5. He had/has sort of the same fear. He's always hated to have the window down in the car while driving and if it starts looking like a storm or the wind picks up while outside he starts getting anxious. He wants ALL his toys from outside picked up and put in the garage right away. He has no fear of fans though. I'm just a Mom, but I would say, wait it out. She is still very young. At that age it is hard to talk to her about fears and explain wind.
Avatar m tn You can even just browse through the OCD forum to get an idea of some of the advice that has been given to others with the same fears. It's not as simple as us telling you you would know if you were gay (which you would). Like any other kind of anxiety, you would accept that reassurance temporarily, but most likely, the fears will reemerge. This is why I think you should check out the OCD forum, there are suggestions you could benefit from that are specific to this exact issue.
Avatar f tn Memory and concentration may become poor in few people. They may feel stressful to go out or swim for the fear of having a seizure. Taking medications daily and if they are told not to drive can affect them a lot. It is important to cope up with the condition and accept it. Take your medications regularly. Exercise daily and have a balanced diet. This will increase your energy levels and boost your immune system which reduces risk of seizures. Do write to me again. Best luck and regards!
Avatar m tn Of course there is always a what if, but we also take a risk by walking down the street, driving our cars, etc. Have you ever thought of talking to a therapist about this? Health anxiety is quite common in this forum and can really take a toll on us unless we get to the bottom of it. Keep us posted!
Avatar f tn This may be the beginning of a mild form of agoraphobia, this is a fear of leaving the home or being away from the home. I have this in a severe form as I have difficulties just leaving the home to travel a minute up the road. I can assure you it is extremely disabling. My agoraphobia started out fairly mild and progressively got worse after having numerous panic attacks while out, I found my world started to become smaller and smaller.
Avatar f tn In my opinion, counseling sheds light on a dark subject. It gives you the knowledge to learn about and confront the source of your anxiety. Also, sometimes, we do need a change in medications....how long have you been on the paxil? These types of medications take awhile to feel the benefit of them. Also, do not get too down on yourself. Many people believe that accepting and confronting an anxiety problem shows weakness. In my opinion, the exact opposite is true.
3997096 tn?1349317861 When you have side effects? Oy, put like that there were times I should not have been on the road. Coping is a great tool - and a crucial one during therapy. It is a mental thing though and in my case it would not have changed the fact my reflexes were slow, my attention span was short and I could not focus very well. In short there were times I should not have been on the road. There probably still is. . . .