Coping With Panic Attacks While Driving

You might have never had any sort of difficulty while driving when suddenly something comes over you without warning. It becomes difficult to breathe, feel dizzy and you feel an overwhelming sense of dread. You begin to feel as though you may lose control of the car – and this intensifies the fear tenfold. If you’ve ever had this happen to you, you might be afraid to drive.

You might receive the advice to drive more often to confront your fears. In your case, the panic attack is brought on by the thought of driving and no amount on confronting your fears can help you. But the panic attacks can be triggered anywhere and at unexpected moments. But what should you do if you have a panic attack while driving? Knowing what to do can ease your anxieties in case it does happen while you at the wheel.

If it’s never happened to you before, you may not recognize the shakes, clammy palms and increasing dread and fear as a panic attack. You might have been worrying about the driving conditions, a breakdown, traffic or even something unrelated to driving.

At the onset of a panic attack while you are driving your car, pull over. During a panic attack, it seems that all cars are racing towards you. That is just your imagination or ugly intrusive thoughts going haywire. Sit up straight, take a deep breath, and regulate your breathing until you are relaxed. Breathing in through your noise and exhaling through your mouth can lessen the attack.

Panic attacks can last a couple of seconds or for few minutes. Just try to relax and calm yourself until the attack subsides. If you have some water in the car, take sips of this, since dehydration can trigger panic attacks. Take a pill if you have any prescription medication for your panic disorder and ride your attack out until you’re thoroughly relaxed. You should keep some water and a paper bag to regulate your breathing in the car at all times.

Preventing those attacks is better than a pound of cure. To avert panic attacks, take vitamin B complex as part of your preventive regimen. This vitamin family is recommended for people who are stressed out. Since Vitamin B complex is water soluble, there is no harm in taking the vitamins daily to supplement your diet but ask your doctor for the correct daily dosage for your age and gender.

Follow your doctor’s advice. If you’re going to a therapist or to group therapy sessions, make sure to attend consistently. Hearing how others have managed their panic attacks can be very helpful.

Never drive alone if you’re prone to panic attacks while driving; you may even want to have other people do the driving if you have attacks frequently. Having someone else along in the car can keep you calmer and prevent you from being overtaken by the fears that trigger panic attacks.