When beating around the bush on a certain topic and/or beating the horse, as the saying, it's best to simplify life and go straight to the source of the problem and call it out, as in commanding over your circumstance... It has helped with phobias to disappear when you unmask foes for truth... I'd love to drive again, you should feel proud of yourself you can drive and you have means to get behind a steering wheel, happy for you!

gentle empathy, livingly. given how dangerous driving can be --and having lost people in fatal car wrecks-- i periodically go through periods of driving paranoia. i've had two vehicles totaled by rear end collisions, so one of my more common obsessions is paying more attention to my rear view mirror than my windshield. in my more rational moments, this seems like the perfect practice for driving up somebody else's tailpipe.

when i catch myself in this state, my standard practice is to pull over, get out of my vehicle and ply grounding tools. my personal fave is walking circles around my vehicle, shaking my arms and legs until i shake ^it^ off. i repeat as needed. it's okay if it takes me two hours to get to the grocery store. better to arrive alive than on time.

Thanks for the advice guys I’ll keep both of these things in mind. I’m still trying to drive despite my anxiety because I don’t want it to be debilitating.

I experience that periodically. Driving IS dangerous and as a society that drives daily there are statistical elements that increase/decrease the threat of collision/hitting a pedestrian/object etc. When you have ADD and anxiety (I've purposely left out the "H" part because I don't think this applies to people with anxiety) your attention is diverted to a vast number of things which you are worrying about/distracted about, so when you are behind the wheel it is important to leave those distracting elements behind and imagine that you are operating a machine which has the potential to do vast amounts of damage and as such, all of your attention must be foused upon this. It is also a feature of our society which most must participate in, so you don't have much of a choice.

What I tell myself is that I can't think about my other problems when I drive--I have to focus on the car ahead of me, do periodic rearview mirror checks, and be conscious of the vehicles on either side. Also, I have to assume that everyone else is experiencing similar challenges as myself; there will also be new drivers, overconfident drivers, distracted drivers, or drivers who are under the influence of mind-altering drugs.

After a while this potentially scary situation is not as scary as it could be--life--after all, IS scary. At any given point we could be killed in an accident, and it is only our instincts that keep us alive. For the most part our instincts operate quite well. Keep that in mind. As well--most everyone else doesn't want to get into an accident and are usually trying their best not to.

Bear in mind that there will always be assholes out there who will cut you off, not let you in, or get angry at you for no reason. Be that chill, accommodating person on the road, especially given the fact road rage events are rising.

The old adage about getting thrown from a horse applies here. And for good reason. If one immediately gets back on the horse and keeps on riding, the fear subsided and confidence returns. What you describe is literally talking yourself out of trying again and letting fear keep you from living.

I can so identify with all.

Keep driving. It will get easier, the more you do it.

Don't let the anxiety win!

Driving is hard, but is a very good to you, And the more you drive, it will be easier.
I also had a lot of problems to drive. It took me more than a year to feel secure to drive, and even today, if I had somebody else to drive, I just give the keys.
But you need to battle the anxiety, and get that. I know you can do it.
Go slow, step by step, breathe and try to stay calm. Try to listen to music while drivin, sing with it, helps maintain you there.

I had this happen after my best friend was killed in a single vehicle driving accident and found the only way for me to deal with it was to ignore the fears/anxiety when making plans and then just suffer and push thru it while driving. (If I had only been that wise about the grief.) There were quite a few hairy highway moments during the first months (transport trucks are not my friend) but slowly and surely it got better and, while I have never recaptured my former love of driving, I have recaptured my joy in the freedom driving affords me.