Fear – When You Can’t “Just Get Over It”

Have you ever tried to explain to a friend or family member your fear of driving?  Sometimes the reaction you’ll get won’t be the one you’re looking for.  Instead of a sympathetic shoulder, you often get rolled eyes and a response like, “Just forget about it,” or “You have to get over it.”

It isn’t always as easy as turning off your fears like you would a faucet.  Fears are embedded in our conscious and subconscious mind.  They become ingrained as a formal belief system that we hold.

Getting past a fear like driving doesn’t necessarily mean it will ever be completely erased from your mind, but you can find ways of relieving the panic and anxiety you feel when confronted by your fears.

Facing fears is often the most difficult thing we can do.  It’s our instinct to avoid those things that worry us or that we fear will do us harm in some way, whether it’s physical or emotional turmoil.

The first thing you have to do is examine the fear of driving to see if it’s credible or irrational.  It doesn’t matter if it is irrational, you’ll still need to find a way to deal with it.  But giving it a realistic examination will help you find a solution to your anxieties.

For instance, you might fear that you’ll get lost and have to stop for directions.  When examining the evidence, you see there have been previous times you’ve gotten lost.  This is a valid fear that would require you to take action in the form of being sure to bring a map and maybe a cell phone.

An irrational fear might be having a panic attack every time you drive more than 10 miles from home.  When examining this fear, you find that whether you’re near to home or further away, the act of driving is the same and the fear isn’t justified.

Either way, you’ll need to take the next step, which is dealing with your fear responsibly.  For irrational fears, you’ll need to learn how to remove the bulk of the stress you feel by calming yourself down before you allow panic to ensue. 

You might do this by using breathing techniques, self-hypnosis, or even (in some rare cases when you can’t control your fears), through prescribed anti-anxiety medications. 

Don’t ever let yourself become prisoner to your fear of driving.  Whether you have a close support system or not, you have the power to take control and diminish the effect it has over you and your life.  


Related Articles
Diagnosing Your Stress Reflex

What Type of Stress Do You Suffer From? 
There's Nothing Simple About My Phobia
The Power of Affirmations
Get in Life’s Slow Lane to Let Stress Pass You By
Relaxation Training Takes Stress Away
Relax Already
Forget Managing Stress: Reduce and Eliminate It
Using Progressive muscle relaxation to cope with anxiety while driving
Panic Disorder – Yes, It's Real
Does Stress Make You a Nervous Wreck?
What it mindfulness and how can it be used to help people with a fear of driving?
Why does deep breathing help anxiety and how do you do it in the car?
Do You Block Out Signs of Stress?

   driving panic freeway anxiety driving panic attack freeway phobia driving panic attacks highway driving anxiety panic attack driving highway driving fear panic attack while driving highway driving phobia panic attacks and driving highway fear panic attacks driving highway phobia panic attacks when driving driving fear panic attacks while driving driving fear program anxiety about driving driving phobia driving phobia treatment anxiety and driving driving phobias anxiety attack while driving fear of driving phobia anxiety attacks driving overcoming driving phobias anxiety attacks while driving phobia fear of driving anxiety disorder driving phobia of driving anxiety of driving phobias fear of driving anxiety when driving a fear of driving anxiety while driving afraid of driving driving anxiety driving disorder driving with anxiety driving disorders fear of driving fear of driving a car fear of driving freeways fear of driving alone fear of driving on freeways fear of driving over bridges fear of driving on highway fears of driving fear of driving on highways get over fear of driving fear of driving on the freeway how to get over fear of driving fear of driving on the highway how to get over the fear of driving fear of freeway driving how to overcome fear of driving fear of highway how to overcome the fear of driving fear of highway driving overcome fear of driving fear of highways overcome the fear of driving overcoming fear of driving scared of driving the fear of driving