Making progress driving

[findpeace]

I've made good progress with my driving with anxiety: without Xanax.

The last two weeks, I've taken drives that have made me anxious. Two weeks ago, I took a drive with the attitiude I can get off at any of the exits on the highway. I made it most of the way by staying on the highway and at the exit to another highway that has made me anxious, I felt anxious and took an exit to an industrial park instead. Nonetheless, I was happy I did it because I was confronting it. This week, I took the same drive and this time I got to the exit for another highway and I felt little to no anxiety and took the exit. I also came back the same way and felt no anxiety, where I did the week before.

Today, I took a drive toward one of the bridges that makes me anxious with the strategy of getting off two exits before, where a Home Depot is. I needed to get things at Home Depot and I knew one was there. Well, I did it. I felt some anxiety and it began to get stronger when I hit bumper to bumper traffic, but I talked myself down and I was fine (a year ago, I would have been in panic mode). I felt some anxiety in Home Depot, thinking of the drive back up a steep incline on the highway. Once I got in the car and came back on the highway, I was fine.

The best part is I took these drives without Xanax.

My strategy is go some or most of the way on drives that bother me (many leading to bridges, which is my big problem) and get myself comfortable on these drives without Xanax. I may still need it sometimes, but I am confronting this bully known as anxiety more often.

Anxiety is a bully and when you go after the bully, he goes away most of the time. I saw a statement from Norman Vincent Peale's The Power of Positive Thinking and there is a statement that says "do what you fear and death of fear is certain." I am getting closer to the point where I am no longer afraid of being afraid.

[Kellygirl123]

Hi, I just want to say congratulations on your progress, that is a huge step!! I also have issues with driving after having a panic attack a few months ago in the car.Im driving with people with me, but not very far on my own. I'm proud of you and know that you are not alone in this struggle. I look at other people driving everywhere like I used too and I think to myself, you don't know how fortunate you are to be able to drive and not think twice about it. I pray for all of us going threw this daily struggle with anxiety/panic, depression because of it to have the courage to overcome this once and for all and be free from its hold on us. God Bless.

[findpeace]

Thank you for your kind words. I've been keeping at it. Anxiety is low level, but I am still tense and I wish I could have a lighter grip on the steering wheel. That's what I want to improve on. I grip the steering wheel so tightly, my hands and fingers can ache or feel tingly.