fear of driving

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:05 am

Your 100% right that God is helping us. Usually when I am having an attack I talk to God and ask him for strength. Did you just start the program?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:09 am

I know this sounds like a broken record, but I have the same fear of driving... It appears to have gotten better, but sometimes even the thought of driving somewhere more that 5 minutes away frightens me....does anyone have anything other than positive self talk for this?? I have tried listening to the relaxation tape when I drive....yes I know that isnt the smartest thing to do, but I dont think I will ever fall asleep while driving since I get so stressed about it....

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 2:31 pm

i just started the program the beginning of January but i havent been following it like im suppose to but im trying to get back on track with it soon.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 5:06 pm

Gosh, I just started this forum tonight and was so glad to see all the people having trouble driving. I feel like such a failure because I can't drive alone. I am a successful businesswoman and am in charge of three medical offices and 35 employees. You can only imagine the excuses I have come up with over the past 10 years of why I can't attend meetings by myself away from the office. I feel like a prisoner so many times I could cry. I have to car pool to work just to get to work and recently remarried after 15 years alone - sometimes I think it was because he lived close and i could actually drive backroads to get to his house. He is very understanding about this. People just can't believe I have a problem like this since I seem to have it all under control. If only they knew the nights I cry myself to sleep. But my best friend told me something that may help some of you - she said, so what - you can't drive alone big deal. I can't run a multi million dollar medical office and you can. Everyone has something they can and can not do - quit beating yourself up for it. Sometimes that helps other times I get disgusted. I can drive as long as someone is with me but never on the interstate. We travel a lot but I just say I'm the navigator. And the saddest thing of all - I trade cars all the time, thinking a new car might be the answer. I guess we just all need to lean on the Lord and take baby steps. I know how thrilled I was the day I kept my cell phone in my lap, called work and told them I was on the way and if I wasn't there in a few, someone come and look for me - I would be pulled off waiting. So, keep your cell phone with you, find some good music, let someone know you are leaving and when to expect you and if all else fails, pull over and wait until your anxiety attack passes. I've been living like this for over a decade - sometimes it gets better. My first anxiety attack was in traffic in a car by myself and the experts say that's why your body reacts to it - it always remembers where you were and how you felt when it first happened. Hang in there! We're going to be racing around and driving alone before you know it!!!!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 5:48 pm

Wow! it's so great to hear other people with the same driving fear that I have..my sister gets panic attacks too, but she has no problem driving and I've gotten to the point where I don't even want to leave my house. I've had to leave my full time and part time job. On my last job, I started getting panic attacks during night driving, so a couple of times I had to leave my car at work and either have someone pick me up or have a coworker take me home. But Last February, I had a horrible level 15 panic attack on a major interstate highway, my legs and hands were trembling, I felt dizzy and spacey, my heart was racing so fast..I couldn't even hardly dial my cell phone to have a friend from work come pick me up I was crying and I felt like I was dying..at the time we were both on our lunch breaks and she had to come pick me up from the interstate as I'm bewildered, pacing around my car..at the time I had ordered Lucinda's first program ..but I wasn't following it with the tapes..I knew enough to do the breathing..but I still felt like I was dying..Going to work became unbearable and by the summer I had to quit my part time job as an organist for a church. Since then, my life has downward spiralled down from being afraid of driving, I haven't basically driven since last February, and now I'm even afraid to drive in a car as a passenger..I don't like to go very far..especially if I haven't had good sleep..very dizzy..and now I'm even afraid to be home alone..But my mother ordered these new tapes for me and this time I'm going to go through the course chapter by chapter and practice the tools..I don't want this kind of life anymore...I wan't to be able to drive, to leave my home and not be afraid and to even be in my home alone and not be afraid..But one good thing happened about a week ago..My Boyfriend drives my daughter to school and on the way home I asked him to pull over and I would try driving just up the street to my house..Well I was feeling anxious and dizzy, but I did it..So I really want to do this program the right way and being able to talk to others with the same problems is just so liberating and great!!!I felt so all alone with this disorder for so long..My friends don't come to see me, I was a very outgoing person before this and they just don't understand what I'm going through...So it's very nice to hear from others going through the same thing

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 7:20 pm

Hi everyone I just wanted to let you know that I too had trouble driving still do some of the time b/c my main symptom is dizziness so it is hard to concentrate on the driving.But with the help of the program I am now able to drive alot better than I was. But StressCenter.com has a cd out by Carolyn Dickman that is a driving cd and it is a real help. They used to have an online store on here but they don't know but I think if you call the customer service line I am sure the number is on the site somewhere you could inquire about it. It is not expensive but if you have any trouble driving I really do think it is well worth the investment.
Take care and God bless everyone on there journey.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 1:27 am

I used to have a terrible fear of driving, on highways, bridges, out of my comfort zone, seemed like everything! I found the program at <A HREF="http://www.DrivingFear.com" TARGET=_blank>www.DrivingFear.com</A> to be VERY good. In conjunction with Lucinda's program, I don't have any anxiety about driving anymore, the other program was just more geared specifically for that fear while Lucinda's helped me in a more general sense. I'm living proof you CAN overcome it!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 10:26 am

Thanks for sharing. It's nice to know that we are not alone and we'll get thru this together!

deedee00 · Post by **deedee00** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:08 am

I have driving fears also- but I have been able to decrease them through the program. I can now drive 12 miles on the interstate to work, where I caouldn't even go 5 without feeling aweful. I haven't been working the program since October so I know I need to get on the program again and challenge myself to keep at it. YOU CAN OVERCOME THIS! But it won't happen without challenging yourself to try. I know. I got too comfortable just getting where I HAVE to go everyday. Now its time to step it up again and go farther!

That means practice.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:37 am

i havent try driving on the freeway without getting nervous all the time, my legs are shaking, especially if i'm right next to a big truck. i cant drive when my kids are with me on the freeway only side street, my friends are laughing at me. but i just cant. the thought of me taking a plane flight scare me alot. i cant visit my mom who is from another country, 16 hrs flight i have to take.