Anxiety Support Group
Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...
I have an intense terrifying fear of driving on the interstate. I live in the Minneapolis area and the system is congested and always busy. I've lived here for over 2 yrs and I'm still terrified of the driving on them. I thought if you continued to do something that frightened you that you would eventually get over your fear of it. I'm not. What am I going to do?I'm in therapy and I take medications for anxiety. It's not helping. Any advice would be appreciated.
Not sure where these fears/anxieties came from and I have no idea how to stop them. I've discussed with my family and boyfriend that I should go talk to someone but I've never done it yet. I guess thinking about going to talk to someone would be the next step to actually driving. So I haven't felt ready to take that step.
Now I'm reading a book and trying to face my anxieties. I joined this forum hoping it would help me and maybe I can face this head on myself instead of talking to someone? I'm not sure. But it does feel good to get it out and talk about it to someone other than my family.
People at work know I don't have a car but nobody other than my family and boyfriend know that I don't drive. When people ask me about driving I just say I'm saving my money...I feel ashamed of myself. I feel like a fool that kids 13 years younger than me are learning how to drive but I can't do it.
I think the best solution is to take it slow -- literally -- to practice driving skills in a small area (even a parking lot) and build from there. And it's not just the four wheels turning. I think, in fact, I know, a person needs to be comfortable with driving her car from within, meaning within the car itself: knowing where all the controls are and how they work, and without, meaning knowing how much space the car takes up on a road and being able to judge this.
In a car that I am very familiar with I can drive just fine. I find it hair raising to take a rental, for example, and hit an unknown highway. It's just common sense to feel the need to be very cautious in this case. Yet, the necessary good sense of caution can become overwhelming. That's why practice in controlled conditions is important. Practice makes perfect. Practice makes confidence.
Alley, if you can drive to and from work, slowly add to your repertoire of exits and entrances. Take it one segment at a time.