Driving is a routine part of our life. But this driving can be challenging if the person has anxiety or panic attacks. How to deal with panic attacks while driving? The person has to understand a few things first. What is panic anxiety? How it is triggered while driving and what are the warning signs? After learning this we can practice various tips and tricks such as distraction, watchful waiting in the car, breathing retraining, and avoidance of safety-seeking behaviors
In this blog, we will cover these areas in depth. After reading the full article you will have sufficient knowledge to manage your symptoms yourself.
What is a Panic disorder?
A panic disorder is one of the common types of anxiety disorder. As the name indicates the symptoms of anxiety occur in the form of an episode (attack). These symptoms are severe and overwhelming. Excessive fear or worrisome is the most prominent symptom. Something worse will happen. These are associated with a wide range of physical symptoms. panic disorder symptoms can mimic physical disorder symptoms
A panic attack can happen anywhere even during driving. In this scenario, it is very difficult to keep focus on driving.
Causes of a panic disorder while driving.
Although the causes of panic anxiety are multifactorial, here we will only discuss the main triggers that can trigger a panic attack while driving.
Traffic conditions
Heavy traffic, long distances, peak hour travel, and urgency to reach the destination can elevate stress levels. These can be the triggers of a panic attack while driving
Fear of accidents
If the person has already experienced or witnessed a road traffic accident, this can be a trigger also. Some people have an overwhelming fear of accidents. However, they have never experienced any accidents in the past.
Traumatic experience
Previous traumatic experiences on the road can also trigger panic attacks. These traumatic experiences can be physical or emotional. For example, a woman saw her husband cheating on a traffic signal. Later on, she can panic on the road, especially at the same signal. It is not necessary that at the time of the panic attack, she is remembering the previous event.
Recognizing The warning signs of a panic attack while driving
Before we discuss how to control panic attacks, it is very important that we learn the warning signs. These warning signs can help us to detect upcoming panic attacks early. In this way, we will be able to manage this before it takes its peak.
Below is a brief list of warning signs of anxiety attack or anxiety symptoms
Physical symptoms of panic disorder
- Heart Palpitations or increased heart rate
- an intense feeling of breathlessness
- Excessive sweating
- chest pain
- The feeling of pressure in the chest or pain in the chest
- Choking sensation
- Cold sweats and hot flashes
- dry mouth
Mental symptoms of panic disorder
- Sense of intense fear or fear of fear
- Inability to focus
- Racing thoughts
- sense of control disturbs
Behavioral symptoms
- Restlessness
- Trembling or shaking
- Attempting to escape the situation.
Our everyday life disturbs significantly if we have these types of mental health conditions. symptoms of a severe panic attack can be mixed with that of a heart attack. with proper treatment, we can improve our quality of life
How to deal with panic attacks while driving?
Now we will come to the next section of this blog. How to control panic attacks while driving.
Stop the car and stay in the car
The initial step is to stop the car and park it alongside the road. During active panic attacks, it is difficult to maintain focus in driving. So we have to stop to avoid unfavorable outcomes.
The next part of controlling panic attacks is to stay in the car. No matter how severe the panic attack is, stay in the car. Don’t try to rush out of the car. This is a crucial step in controlling panic attacks. At the same time, it is a very difficult task to do. But we have to do it also. The reason behind it is that we will not try to escape the symptoms of panic attacks. Again, stay in the car and try to make your body relax and wait for the natural remission of symptoms. Dont rush to an emergency
Focus on breathing
The next step is to focus on your breathing. During panic attacks, most people breathe forcefully. This is due to the underlying symptom of breathlessness. But remember this forceful and extra breathing effort can further increase the symptoms of panic attacks. What we have to do is to keep our breathing slow calm and comfortable. This is a difficult task at the start. However, with practice, we can learn to control our breathing pattern
Look at the road or surroundings
This is another strategy very simple and helpful. You can try to distract your mind. Look at the surroundings and road. Try to think about something else.
Wait till the symptoms subside spontaneously.
Here is the interesting part. The best strategy to control panic attacks is to do nothing. Stay in the car and wait till the symptoms subside spontaneously. in case of extreme anxiety, it is very difficult to wait.
It is very important to remember that the symptoms of panic attacks with always subside. The duration varies from person to person but these always disappear. Try to wait till this natural remission
Avoid safety-seeking behaviors
Safety behaviors are the type of behavior that we do to avoid imagined fears
- Don’t hold yourself or any part of the car forcefully
- Don’t use sedatives or anxiolytics at the time of a panic attack
- Don’t use excessive water
- don’t check your blood pressure frequently
Long-term treatment for future Panic attacks
The tips discussed above usually apply when the panic attack has started while driving. These are the short-term strategies that have to be applied during a panic attack. The actual treatment of panic attacks starts when the panic attack is over. therapy for panic disorder is a unique type of intervention to control panic disorder without the use of medicine. Fear of driving can lead to total avoidance of driving. With effective treatments and treatment plans, we can get rid of the extreme fear permanently. If we answer the question of how to deal with panic attacks while driving, there are various techniques and methods. A few more are described below.
Relaxation techniques
There are two commonly used relaxation techniques. One is progressive muscle relaxation and the other is breathing retraining
Progressive muscle relaxation
In this technique, almost every muscle group of the body is stretched and after some time it is relaxed.
Breathing Retraining
In this technique, we have to train ourselves to continue calm and comfortable breathing during the phase of stress or panic attacks. We also call this technique deep breathing. these are simple breathing exercises
Remember these techniques have to be practiced again and again. This is done when you are in a relaxed phase.
Take help from a mental health professional
If the symptoms are severe and you are not able to control them with the above strategies, then it is important to consult a mental health professional. This can be a psychiatrist or psychologist. There are various very effective medicines to control panic attack
Similarly, various psychological interventions do the miracle in controlling panic attacks. Panic attacks can be controlled control even without the use of medicines. Behavioral therapy is most commonly used to deal with these types of mental disorders.
Conclusion
Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder. Its symptom appears in the form of episodes. Severe panic attacks especially during driving can significantly impair our quality of life. There are various triggers that can trigger panic episodes during driving. How to deal with panic attacks while driving? Fortunately, this is a treatable condition. With proper treatment, the prognosis is very good. The most common treatment options are psychological interventions. In severe panic attacks treatment with medicine is also necessary.
FAQs
Here are a few FAQs
What can trigger a panic attack while driving?
Although this can start even without a trigger, the most triggers during driving are traffic conditions, an urgency to reach a destination, fear of not reaching the destination in time, previous traumatic events while driving, etc
Can I take an anxiolytic while driving?
You should avoid anxiolytics while. These can impair your judgment.
How do you breathe when driving anxiety?
You have to breathe normally. Don’t put extra effort into breathing. Practice abdominal pattern of breathing even during acute stressful conditions.
Can driving phobia be cured?
Yes! Driving phobia can be cured. With the use of proper treatment driving phobia can be cured. Treatment includes lifestyle modifications, counseling, psychotherapies, and medicines. Medicines are only used if driving phobia is severe or not responding to psychological interventions.
