I am and have been going through similar things as you. I have not driven in over a year but I force myself to go out for walks everyday and even have started running just so I don't feel like a shut in. I meditate, draw and do lots of other crafts to help with turning my brain off to the negative thinking. I also have an awesome support system that are very understanding and this awesome group of people on DS.

And it also doesn't help that I am in peri menopause. Lots of changes going on, lots I don't understand but am learning as much as I can to help myself.

Major piece of advice I can give you is please be patient with yourself. You will find something that works for you.

Therapy helped me with my anxiety. My life is much better than
before therapy. If the therapist you see doesnt work out try another.
I got the most help from a practice that specialized in anxiety.
But a good general therapist can help also.

Barbara

I got help for mine when I was in my forties. I think when your sick of being sick you will do what ever it take to feel normal. I saw a doctor who put me on Klonopin and it changed my life. I was then put on Prozac because I was always worrying. Both those drugs changed my life. Life is meant to be lived. My daughter is 27 and she will never drive and that is okay. She has people give her a hard time but she does what she has to so she can get where she needs too. She is on meds also but just has such a fear of driving. The good news is that after 20 years I have lived 10+ better life than from my 20's to 40's. Today is just the beginning. Feel free to write me personally.

Here's what I say when it comes to driving and moving through the fear (often not associated with driving but with some type of motion involving driving).
I learned to to drive as a teen, never drove by myself until a police officer took me on a test drive to get my driver license without thinking about it ahead of time. I was 21 at the time. I have had to plan out my errand route so I make as many right hand turns as possible, that I enter and exit major roads using signal lights, and then I have to add in breaks for the shaking (first symptom of anxiety increase for me). After adding a journal to my bag of tricks, I learned what motion added to the anxiety, and with time, have been able to minimize this.
If you feel like life is passing by, first ask yourself, what can I do to be "in" life. It's a way of putting your thinking into "the moment".
You can do this, time, effort, determination, and knowing you are not alone.

Best wishes!

I have been going through some of the same fears as you have. I have been suffering with anxiety for nearly 34 years. I am 63 years old fearing that as I get older I won't be able to rid myself of the anxiety. My kid are now adults and one lives in Chicago, the other is finishing up college. I miss them being kids and I know you can't keep them kids, life goes on and we get older. Consciously I know this however thinking about it makes me sad raises my anxiety. There is something called melancholia depression and I think I may be suffering from this type of depression. You have to keep positive as much as you can and hope your doctor can find the right meds to control your anxiety and depression. You are doing everything you can do and if you stay the course, it will get better.

I often try to compare my anxiety to a physical equivalent. For example, if you had poor depth perception, you wouldn't be able to drive. Would you feel as bad asking for rides? Would you feel others a judging you for not just "getting over it"? Would you be as mad at yourself for not being able to do it?

I think we believe anxiety is a "fixable" problem, so if we can't fix it, we are not doing good enough or living well enough. Anxiety is a part of who we are. Some days are worse, some are better. It's just how we react to things in life. So what? The difficulty lies in the chronic nature, like having headaches all the time or joint pain. Everyone adapts to their life based on their ability to do things. Please try and be forgiving and gentle with yourself about not driving.

It isn't fair that we have to feel this way. It sucks and trust me, I've been feeling similar to you lately. But there are things that can help. Medication, meditation, therapy, massage, nutrition changes, exercise, breathing, etc. Finding a good combination takes time and may even change later in life, but I think it's worth the effort.

And good for you starting therapy! Make sure you feel comfortable with your therapist and that their views work for you. But I think just saying these things out loud to someone helps immensely. It gets it out of your system. Hope you keep checking in with us! You are not alone.

I have suffered with anxiety from a young child - I spent my teens and 20's in almost complete fear.

The good news is that we can recovery from anxiety - you can live an unrestricted life! I used CBT and Exposure Therapy to create my recovery. Anxiety is something that you have to engage and learn to manage - it will never "go away" on its own - but you can learn to create a life without it.

Also, I think its fantastic you are meditating. Learn Zen meditation and practice it every day. Meditation helps tremendously - but it takes time - but time is passing anyway - keep meditating and one day you will see how wonderful it is and how much it helps "dissolve" anxiety.

Wishing you peace.

I want to thank everyone for their replies and sharing your similar struggles. I start therapy tomorrow. I'm hoping my therapist and I are,a good fit. I will keep trying to get better. I want to live and enjoy life. I'm desperate to live - just like each of you. Thank you again. I will let you know how it goes tomorrow.