1.    Relax Your Attempt To Control

If you have driving anxiety, it’s because you’re in a situation where you feel trapped and feel a lack of control.  The best way to deal with this is to realize that there are going to be things which are outside of your control and this is one of them.  You need to become comfortable with things being slightly out of your control and you do this in two ways:

a.    Distraction

If you find yourself focused on the situation that is making your anxious, shift your attention elsewhere.  Try looking off in the distance at the trees or buildings, try eating a snack or drinking some water or if that doesn’t work, try turning on the radio.  Of course you don’t want to be too distracted, you are driving a car.

b.     Breathing

Try controlling your breathing .  Even though your heart may be racing, try inhaling for 7 seconds then exhaling for 11.  Your mental state can be brought down to your breathing, if your breathing can be controlled, so can your mental state.  Keep breathing in for 7 and out for 11 until you regain your composure.

In dealing with driving anxiety, keep using the breathing and distraction techniques, but if you’re looking for a better solution which will essentially cure the problem, you’re going to need a more powerful program than this.  There is one out there which has helped a lot of people, it’s called the “One Move Technique” and it would work perfectly in this situation.  To read more about it, click on this link.

1.    Put In Some Good Tunes

If you get panic attacks driving, it helps to make a mix cd of some soothing or upbeat music you like.  This will help to keep you in a mellow mood regardless of where you are, at the very least it will lessen the impact of any panic attack.

2.    Keep Your Thoughts On Something Else

Now I’m not saying be absent minded while driving, what I’m saying is try focusing on things like the scenery ahead of you or think of some pleasant thoughts so your mind doesn’t wander into panicky thought territory.

3.    If Worse Comes To Worse, Pull Over

If you’re getting panic attacks driving, It may be best to just pull over.  If you’re on the highway, take the nearest exit.  It’s a good idea to keep a bottle of water with you at all times, which is something you might do as it is since bottled water is all the rage these days.  What you want to do is drink the water, close your eyes, and repeat to yourself “I am calm, collected and in complete control of my mind and body” or another similar mantra.  Say it over and over again until you begin calming down.  The lack of visual perception should help this along, so keep those eyes closed.

If you have panic attacks driving, this will be of help, but it obviously doesn’t help stop the issue from ever happening in the first place.  To do that, you’re going to need to whip out the big guns.  One of the most powerful techniques you can use to cure yourself of this problem is the “One Move Technique”.   To find out how to put it to work, check out this link.