Tips for Living With Panic Disorder
Tuesday July 29, 2008
Are your PD symptoms preventing you from having fun in the sun? Summer months are usually filled with picnics, beaches, vacations, spending time with the kids, plenty of outdoor activities and just having fun. But, for these same reasons, the summer season can also be a time of added stress. You don’t have to let your PD symptoms relegate you to the sidelines. There are effective ways you can reduce your anxiety and panic so you can rejoin the warm weather festivities.
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I am afraid of driving. I can drive on streets. I live in a large city with lots of traffice, but i am able to get around by avoiding streets with heavy traffic. I am usually nervous and tense and VERY HAPPY to arrive at my destination.
My fear of highways is absolutely another thing. I think part of my fear of driving is my fear that I will accidently end up on a highway, which means that i don’t often drive in areas I am unfamiliar with. The few times I accidentally ended up on a highway, I experienced panic attacks….I was unable to stop shaking, I was sweating profusely, and I was sure that I would end up being killed. Most of my family and friends “humor” me as they can’t imagine why driving (which is such a simple thing to do) can be the source of such anguish for me. There are so many things I am unable to do. Can treatment really help me? I’m so afraid that I’ll get killed on the highway, I can’t imagine what a therapist could do for me.
Driving on the highway can be very stressful … there are so many lanes to keep track of, and when you are not feeling well, it can seem overwhelming. Add to this that highways have a tendency to come to a dead stop at times, leaving you unable to move and get off the highway, this can be excrutiating. I avoid highways during rush hour. This way, on a smaller street, I can take little detours, which might take longer, but I feel better when I keep moving. I bring my mp3 player and and fm radio transmitter and listen to soothing music, like Enya, when I feel stressed … or something really rocking and force myself to sing along. Make sure you have something soothing with you when you drive anywhere … I like roasted nuts for protein and cold water to combat the sweating that inevitable overtakes me when I panic.
I hope this helps
I am so sorry to hear that you are having such difficulty with driving. I understand though, having been through that myself. There were a couple of months where I absolutely wouldn’t drive anywhere. I had to be driven aroud by other people. That was 13 years ago. I can drive almost anywhere now. I actually love to drive. I do feel anxious driving at night, alone, and on highways with stopped traffic. I feel trapped. This may sound silly, but when I am anxious and driving, I focus on stretching my feet. I know it sounds weird, but it helps me relax and focus my attention elsewhere. Therapy can and does help. You can do it on your own with self-help tapes/books or seeking out a therapist qualified to work with anxiety disorders. I wish you the best of luck, and just know no matter what, you’ll be fine. Panic attacks have NEVER killed anyone, and you won’t be the first.
One panic issue is flying. Will you panic on the plane? How can you control it? Some ideas on that are explained in
http://www.fearofflying.com/video_hs.shtml