Fear of Driving

Summer754

I surely can relate to your anxiety. I never felt safe in a car for most of the time. I too had my husband drive me everywhere. But felt loss of control over my life. For me whether it was driving in a small city like Madison Wisc, or Buffalo to now in Northern Virginia here the traffic is horrendous. 

I know the fear is real and it is my issue and I force myself to drive when I feel good during the time traffic is less. 

By doing this I was able to at least drive around my county okay. I do feel petrified of being on Outer, Inner loops of 495 and I-66 or I-95. I go out early in the morning and do only a small exit at a time. 

I have no advice but this is what I am doing to deal with my fears of driving. I hate to feel out of control over my life. I at least can go to the doctors or attend social gathering with my friends. But that does not mean I am okay or very comfortable driving like my friends or collegues.

DeanD

@Elaine5... Welcome to the community. I'm sorry to hear about your fear of driving. I'm sure it's not an easy situation to be in. Unfortunately, I don't have any solid answers for you. Maybe search online for a support group? Or talk to a therapist about it? I'm guessing a good therapist could help you.

I wish I had more advice for you. Perhaps others will weigh in like @Summer754 did. In the meantime, I will definitely say a prayer for you. 

dominica

@Summer754 hello and welcome to the forum. I can totally relate to anxiety on the road. I can remember being terrified as a kid and not being able to take my eyes off the road when Riding with my parents. When I graduated high school I was afraid to drive 40 minutes to a different town. I remember it perfectly.

However, over the years my fears have mostly subsided. I ended up moving to a bigger city in the south. And though it was challenging at times, I think for me practice has helped. Just practicing driving in the bigger cities on the highways. I also communicate with someone who is driving my wishes. I am not afraid to ask someone to slow down and let them know of my anxiety. I also won't drive with someone I don't trust.

I have heard that hynosis is helpful. There are certain anxiety reduction techniques out there. Perhaps something that you can research. Maybe try different things.

These days I drive all over the country. I still get a little anxious in the big cities, but most people do. I always ask for protection from my angels and that does seem to ease my anxiety some.

Perhaps look into some guided meditation's as well on YouTube. Look for them specifically for relaxation or stress reduction. I think this is something that you can work on and the anxiety that will decrease over time. The battle is all in the mind.