My only suggestion is one that helped me to get to a neutral zone while driving/riding.

I map out the route and arrange as many right hand turns to the places I want to go.

When riding, I observe the surroundings to see what I can find different.

Both of these distract from the usual thought pattern.

how about some audio books to listen to while you drive? most public libraries have them to loan. the better books can even turn the drive into something to look forward to.

for what it's worth
i feel like avoiding certain intersections, even if it makes the trip longer is downright sensible. i take it several steps further by avoiding certain streets and neighborhoods. it's worth the extra time and miles to arrive in a more relaxed state of mind.

Jeez. Bipolar AND GAD. :-) I like Arfie’s audio book idea. A distraction might help.

Thanks guys. I listen to music in the car. I can’t focus on a audio book. :(

I so feel your pain... I too, have huge anxiety when I drive. I listen to music, I make a phone call to someone and talk to them while I get to my destination, and as funny as it may sound, sometimes I play a childs game of going through the ABC's. I know, that last one seems strange but it helps. My therapist tells me to give myself very frequent pats on the back for getting wherever I am going... "look at you Carolyne, you got to the next town! Good for you!" Don't know if any of this is helpful, but I sincerely hope things get better... Hugs!!!

i too get really bad anxiety when in the car. i just remind myself that yes driving is streesful that is normal. i know from having an anxiety dissorder that sometimes when you know your facing one of your triggers that remember what your fearing is the future, The idea of having a panic attack is not neccisarily the reality and can cause you to have them. i do meditation daily in the mornings to stay more in the present and it has helped. Keeps me working on focusing on my breath and staying more grouded overall. Then the more i start driving every day the less i would have them. I get really bad anxiety in lines for some reason. I think the waiting causes me to start thinking about myself and since ive had anxiety that causes me to phyiscally noticeable i have more fear of having a panic attack then actually having one and that is where i struggle. i found that if i pretend im not inside my body and look at my self from another outside perspective. I know this sounds abstract but it helps if i do that and acknowledge im just overreacting then look at myself in line from a different pov like from above or just detach myself and vision my self just proceeding and being successful it lessons the chance of it happening next time and overtime it becomes something i know longer think about. 90 percent of panic attacks and anxiety is worrying about something unnecessary and fear of something you do not even know is going to happen actually.

I do the right hand turn thing too! But, only into my final destination. I'll look at the route, go to the final turn and make sure it's on my right. If not, I'm surely going to overshoot, turn around and approach the place from my right. I, also, have preferred ways of getting from A to B which may not always seem sensible to others. But, things like cars line both sides of the main drag near my home? I'm going right and circling the block even if I really need to go left.

Personally, I think this boils down to how much of a disturbance it causes in your life- for ages I avoided the highway for example- I only got over it when I was forced to do it to go to work or getting there and back would have taken a good 2+ hours each way. But, for the time up to that? Sure, it took me longer to get where I needed to go but, I planned for that and it wasn't really an issue for me. It just was what made me more comfortable.

As a passenger I've had this too- but, I know for me it stems from trauma. I'm absolutely focused on remembering every turn to get where we are going when I'm a passenger. (Yeah, I was taken at one point in my life) It's knowing how to get from the destination to somewhere I could get help if I needed to escape.

Do you know what it brings up? That might help.

Music helps calm me down too. And I'm much better when I go to places I have been many times.

Just my thoughts.

Hugs.

Wow, I thought I was the only person with this issue. I just wanted to say you're not alone.

One time I actually put the car in park at a traffic light, unbuckled my seatbelt and was about to leave my car there. Where was I gonna go, who knows. I just had the most uncontrollable (and uncomfortable) feeling that I was trapped and had to get out. Being stopped at a red light surrounded by cars or being stuck in traffic on a highway is the absolute worst for me.

These days when I'm in those situations I go through the typical steps with breathing and remaining calm. But, when it comes to those really strong feelings and my heart starts acting up, I have to get ready for a battle (unfortunately). I still need help with those moments.

I have this, also. You are not alone.

It started with making left turns in intersections. I would feel so panicked. Later, after reading many anxiety books, I found out it is a form of agoraphobia anxiety. The feeling that you can't get away, you are "trapped", in that left turn situation.

I wish I had an answer for you. Right turns, side streets, maybe? I just wanted you to know you are not alone with this. I have had this driving problem for over 25 years now.

Thank you all for your support. I am going to continue to work on this in therapy and in five weeks will talk to my psychiatrist again