What can be scarier than falling victim to a panic attack while driving? If you suffer from driving anxiety than the answer to that question is NOTHING!

If you have driving anxiety and are prone to panic attacks then it is highly important that you know what to do if one occurs while you are driving.

If you have driving anxiety then it is likely that panic attacks can become like a passenger in your car just waiting in the wings for its moment to rear its ugly head.

Having a panic attack can be the scariest thing that has ever happened to you but while driving they are not just scary…they can become deadly.

The only way to prevent tragedy for occurring is to inform yourself on ways to stop panic attacks from peaking and ways to safely take the control of the car out of your hands while one is occurring.

Panic Attack While Driving? DON’T PANIC!

While that may sound silly and nearly impossible, if you feel a panic attack coming on try not to outwardly panic. This could cause a fatal accident.

The best thing to do if you feel the tell tale signs of the panic attack take hold is pull over!

In addition to that, there are also other things you can do to reduce your anxiety and pull out of reach of the attack and/or keep yourself and others safe:

✔ Once again, PULL OVER if you feel an attack surfacing. Do so in the safest place and way you possibly can.

✔ If you feel that you may be able stop the attack from coming, practice your therapeutic exercises (deep breathing, soothing music, self-talk, etc.)

✔ If you have medication for your anxiety, take it. It may calm you enough to make it to your destination without having a full blown attack.

The Right Actions to Take

If you feel the need to pull over do not fight it. Your body and mind are sending you a message that you should definitely listen to.

Once you are pulled over in a safe place, get out of the car and walk around a bit.  This will help to clear your head and give oxygen to your over hyper body systems.

Breathe deeply and breathe slowly. If getting out of your car is not an option then lay your seat back and do your breathing exercises.

If you are a seasoned expert about these things, try your self-help techniques. (Only do this if you are sure that you can be safe in doing so. Again, do not try to be a hero. Pull over if it you are unsure of your ability to come down from the panic peak.)

Talk to yourself about whatever calms you. Listen to the radio, playing only soothing music or self-help CD’s.

The main thing during a panic attack, or the beginnings of a panic attack, is to retain safety. This protects not only you but the other drivers on the road as well.

Always keep a paper bag and a bottle of water in the car with you. The paper bag can prevent hyperventilation and the water is needed to take any medications that you have had prescribed by your health care professional to help you deal with your anxiety.

If you feel an attack coming on, by taking your medication as prescribed you can possibly overt the attack.

Be Prepared!

If you already know that you are prone to panic attacks while driving, be prepared before you enter your vehicle. Make a checklist:

• Water
• Paper bag
• Medication
• Music/Self-help audio
• Cell phone (It is ALWAYS important to be able to reach someone in case of emergency.)

Knowing that an attack could come on is half the battle won. If this has happened to you in the past then you can look back and understand your triggers.

Maybe being in the enclosed space for too long triggers an attack. If so, if you are making a long trip, pull over frequently.

Getting some air and stretching your legs can help with any anxiety you may be feeling and help stave off any attacks.

If all else fails, do not fight the attack. As someone who has had a panic attack before, you know that sometimes resistance is futile. You also know that it will pass.

Keep up your breathing and allow the attack to wash over you with the understanding that it will be over soon and you will be okay once again.

If you frequently suffer from panic attacks, or the feeling of oncoming panic attacks while driving, you may want to seek help overcoming this debilitating issue.

Either talk with a mental health professional or seek out some form of alternate treatment such a self-help assistant like The Original Driving Fear Program.

A program of this nature allows you to overcome your fear in your own time and on your own terms. Help is out there…you just have to reach out for it.

By recognizing and admitting the fear exists you have already taken the first step in the process of recovery. Don’t stop now! Push forward into a healthy lifestyle and get rid of your driving anxieties for good!

Your body has a lot of innate wisdom. In fact, in a sense it knows more about your fear of driving than your brain.

If thinking about your fear and “trying to figure it out” has not worked for you, you may be able to overcome driving fear more easily by being aware of your body.

After all, it is your body that tells you of your fear by causing you to have symptoms like shortness of breath, headaches, an upset stomach or feelings of tension and tightness in muscles.

Getting in Touch with Your Innate Wisdom

Another way to think about the innate wisdom of your body is through the concept of body language.

You’ve undoubtedly heard of this and may even understand that thoughts and feelings that you are not conscious of tend to dictate your behavior.

Have you ever been told that you look angry or upset when you’re not aware of this feeling yourself?

You may have your arms crossed or a scowl on your face and not even realize it until someone else points it out.

Your body communicates your subconscious thoughts to the world through body language.

Its messages are not just for other people, though. You can learn to use your body’s wisdom to your advantage in overcoming a fear such as fear of driving.

To do this, you need to be able to tune into your body and “hear” what it is trying to tell you. You must be fully present to do this.

If you are “tuning out” with drugs, alcohol and other forms of withdrawal, you will not be able to hear your body’s messages. Instead, you need to “tune in” to your inner wisdom.

Tuning in to Your Body’s Messages

One excellent way to tune into your body’s wisdom is to use a method called body scanning.

Body scanning is a form of meditation in which you focus on various parts of your body and notice how they are feeling.

For instance, is your jaw tight? Are you clenching your fists? Are you squinting, slouching, or scowling? All of these actions are messages from your body.

Body scans are usually done in sequence. Here is a simple body scan technique you can use to tune in to your body.

1. Lie on your back anywhere that is comfortable for you. Ask yourself, “What is going on in my body?”
2. Begin to notice each part of your body, beginning with the bottoms of your feet. Slowly move your attention to your ankles, calves, thighs, etc. As you do this, notice any sensations in each area of your body as you focus on that part.
3. When you find a tight or tense area or a place where you feel pain, ask yourself what that sensation means. Sit with that message or feeling for a few moments.
4. Breathe into the tight or painful area. Don’t worry if that doesn’t make sense to you at first. With time and practice, the technique will become second nature and you will be able to use it to reduce feelings of anxiety and fear.

This is a 30 minute Body Scan Meditation by Ms. Cullen

Body Scanning and Fear of Driving

Techniques like body scanning can help you manage your fear of driving by helping you to manage the physical symptoms of anxiety associated with the fear.

By identifying and reducing the tension that you feel when you are anxious, you will be more able to get behind the wheel without panicking.

Even though you may still have the fear, if you don’t experience it so profoundly in your body, you are more likely to be able to face the fear and drive in spite of it.

The key to reducing the physical experience of fear is to practice relaxation techniques like body scanning on a regular basis, whether or not you are going to be driving in the near future.

Make a habit of practicing body scanning each evening before you go to bed or each morning before you get out of bed.

You can also use this technique to prepare yourself for driving if you still feel anxious and tense when you have to do so.

However, with regular practice, you will probably find that your anxiety and fear of driving is much less of an issue than it used to be.

Do you know fear is a defense mechanism? Fear helps you act against potential danger and not do dangerous things.

Fear of driving, in its innate and sublime form, is there to protect you. But when it turns into driving anxiety and panic attacks while driving, it hampers your performance rather than help you in any way.

Here we present you with solid tips and techniques to cure your panic and anxiety attacks while driving. When you apply these techniques you will see your panic attacks disappear, and what will remain is awareness to spot signs of fear and take appropriate action to protect yourself.

So don’t worry about fear, let it come to you whenever it is useful. And it is definitely not useful when you pull it towards you and multiply it a hundred times to create panic for yourself.

How to Prevent Fear Turning Into Panic or Anxiety While Driving

Most of us have a slight fear of driving. A frightful incident while driving creates an impression in our mind that plays to itself the next time we drive.

While most people manage to douse the fear, some tend to kindle it and inflame it with every passing incident. They make fuss over physical symptoms of fear like sweaty palms, trembling or dizziness, which makes them even more scared of driving, eventually ballooning into driving anxiety and panic attacks while driving.

The trick is to catch the moment of fear before it soars to uncontrollable heights. Just keep yourself occupied in the present moment and you’ll be just fine. This article is all about remaining in the present. Anxiety is nothing but anticipation of fear.

The fear may or may not be real, but the anticipation of fear is definitely real, detrimental, and hard to bear.

Just look at the present moment. Look at the cars ahead of you. Enjoy the experience of operating a marvelous machine on wheels. Keep your breath flowing and don’t let it lock up. Be aware.

Trick to Quickly Dissolve Panic Attack While Driving

Here is a fantastic technique to avoid an impending panic attack while driving. It may look insane upfront, but it works every time to douse your driving anxiety. Here is how you do it.

Consider you are driving on a freeway or a long bridge, places most of you would tend to panic. Suddenly you start feeling the heat and you get squirmy with fear. Your hands start trembling and your palms start sweating.

Now what you need to do is observe your feelings (identify them), accept them and worsen them. Yes you heard right. Worsen the feelings and symptoms yourself.

Once you have identified and accepted your feelings, make them worse on your own. If your hands are trembling, you make them tremble more by putting in a conscious effort.

If you are feeling jittery, consciously take control of your body and make it jitter more. If you feel like shrieking, gather yourself and consciously shout out something.

What happens is you gain control over your feelings. You realize that you cannot really make them worse. You remain firmly in the present and avoid spiraling into anxiety and panic. This technique will help you relax and avoid panic attacks while driving.

Periodically as you drive, you can perform a relaxation procedure to keep yourself nice and composed. Here is one relaxation technique to help you relax from time to time as you drive, especially if you feel anxiety building up in your system.

Relaxation Technique While Driving

1. Relax your forehead, eyes and jaws. You’ll be surprised how much tension you had unnecessarily built up around that region. Tell yourself it’s fine to relax the muscles of your face.

Relax your jaws and slightly part your teeth. A relaxed face is not going to drop your stance; it is going to equip you with more awareness and alertness.

2. Slightly roll your head both ways. Roll your shoulders clockwise and anticlockwise. Bend your shoulders blades backwards and press them against each other. Hold for a few seconds and relax.

This will soothe your nerves. The best time to perform this exercise is when you stop at traffic signals.

3. Squeeze the wheel tightly with both your hands and relax. Repeat a couple of times. This will make sure you are not holding the wheel with more effort than needed.

4. Squeeze your buttocks together and relax. Repeat twice more. If you have been clenching your buttocks too much while driving, this exercise will relax them and your nerves.

Practice this relaxation technique periodically to get rid of any anxiety while driving. You can practice it on freeways, traffic signals, or before entering a bridge.

There’s nothing really to be scared of while driving if you know how to drive. Unless your driving capabilities are not up to the mark, the only thing stopping you from driving confidently is your mind.

If you engage it in the present moment, anxiety and panic are never going to haunt you. Panic and anxiety attacks while driving are only due to the mind running into the future or harking back to the past.

Use the techniques given above to good effect and keep your mind in the present.

Driving is easy. Just look at those that text as they drive, eat and drink as they drive. This is not to scare you away from the roads but you have you realize that driving is a piece of cake!

Final Words

Practice. Practice your way up and resist the temptation to test yourself directly over bridges spanning water or speeding on the freeway. Each time you drive, increase the duration of your drive.

Remember, your aim is to get better. Don’t try to achieve perfection; it will only lead to more anxiety attacks while driving and make you more scared of driving.

Having said that, it is better for you to go and drive rather than sit at home thinking of fear, anxiety and panic. If you have decided to follow the techniques given here, it is your best chance ever to get rid of driving anxiety and panic attacks while driving. Good luck!

Check out the Driving Fear Program in which you can find ample tips and tricks and proven methods to eliminate fear, anxiety and panic attacks while driving.

The program is a well thought out guide that comes from the actual experiences of the author as he learned how to drive fearlessly from being a nervous driver.