DRIVING ANXIETY
Driving Anxiety involves intense fear or discomfort related to driving, whether you’re behind the wheel or a passenger. This fear often stems from overestimating the dangers of driving situations, leading to avoidance, panic, or hypervigilance. Many people with driving anxiety fear having a panic attack while driving, worrying that it could cause them to lose control or have an accident.
Key Features of Driving Anxiety:
Specific Driving Fears: You may feel anxious about driving on highways, bridges, or in heavy traffic.
Avoidance and Safety Behaviors: You might avoid driving, take alternate routes, or engage in safety behaviors like only driving in the right lane, avoiding left turns, driving slowly, or avoiding major highways.
Physical Symptoms: Common symptoms include sweating, shaking, or a rapid heartbeat while driving or even thinking about it.
Fear of Losing Control: You might fear losing control of the vehicle or being in an accident, even in relatively safe situations.
Prevalence:
Driving Anxiety affects a significant portion of the population, with about 20% experiencing mild anxiety and 6% experiencing moderate to severe anxiety. Knowing you’re not alone is the first step toward managing this fear.
Treatment Approaches:
At ATCA, we use customized, hands-on strategies to help you achieve long-term relief from driving anxiety. Our methods include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):
Cognitive Restructuring: Helps you challenge and change negative thoughts about driving, reducing anxiety.
Exposure Therapy with Response Prevention: Gradual, controlled exposure to driving situations reduces sensitivity to fear over time, while preventing avoidance behaviors.
Mindful Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT):
Present-Moment Awareness and Acceptance: Staying mindful and accepting your anxiety without letting it dictate your actions helps you stay grounded while driving, allowing you to continue despite discomfort.
Cognitive Defusion: Helps you see distressing thoughts as just thoughts, reducing their impact on your emotions and behavior.
Values and Action: Focuses on what matters most to you, such as mobility, and encourages you to pursue your goals despite fear.