Managing Driving Anxiety

Our next question is coming from Hamed, and he's asking us about anxiety. I'm reaching out because I experienced a panic attack while driving, and since then I've been struggling with anxiety every time I get behind the wheel. The memory of that incident affects my confidence in driving, and I'd like to learn techniques to manage these feelings while driving. Could you help me understand what coping strategies might be helpful in this situation? I'm particularly interested in techniques I could use while in the car. Thanks, Hamed. This is a really great question. The thing that's coming to my mind first is that your brain is trying to protect you. A panic attack lets us know that something is happening and we need protection from it, even if the threat is no longer there. So what's happening since you had a panic attack, your brain is saying, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. This is not where you should be. I need to protect you from what you are experiencing." One way to combat that is doing things to let the brain know that it's safe. So what you are asking for is exactly what you might need to start the process of being okay or letting the brain know that it is safe to drive again. So one of the things that I might suggest are some grounding techniques. You can do some box breathing, and a box breath is where you take a big deep breath in, you hold it, and you release it through the mouth. So let's practice. Take a big deep breath in. Hold. Release. What that does is, at the top of the breath, when you're holding the breath, it really helps to calm the nervous system. Sometimes we think the release is in the actual exhale, but it's actually when you are holding it and then releasing. So that is one technique that you can do. Another grounding technique that really helps with panic attacks is using your five senses. So what do you hear? What do you smell? What do you see? What do you touch? What can you taste? Those things help you to get mindful in the moment, to really tune in to what is happening in your present moment. Letting the brain know, "Hey, come back, come on back. We're right here. We're safe. We're in the car. There's no need to be afraid." Right? I might also suggest if you're ready to take another small step, maybe just sitting in the car. Sometimes sitting in your car in the garage is another way to expose yourself to the experience of driving. That means you don't even have to think about getting in the car, turning it on, pulling out the driveway. Nope, you're just gonna go sit in it a couple minutes a day, and then when you feel comfortable, you turn it on, listen to some music, roll the windows down, you know? Maybe a couple minutes, turn...