My severe anxiety is making me dislike driving my car

[ez12a]

Sorry to hear you're going through that. I cant offer any advice other than maybe instead of driving the car, find calmness in wrenching on it. Do some easy mods or do some basic maintenance (nothing suspension or advanced engine related, sometimes that can get stressful especially if those dont go to plan lol)

Or get into gardening? I just got into gardening cause i'm working from home all the time. Get some cheap grow lights, seeding trays on amazon and sprout some seedlings. It's very satisfying and relaxing growing stuff, and because i'm a fatass i'm excited to eat the produce. Personally have basil and shishito pepper seedlings on their way to maturity.

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[SI_honda_2k17]

Try and adjust to your situation, the first advice after any major life event is to give it some time to have the initial emotions calm before making any major life decisions.
you may find that removing the car after you find a sense of calm may upset you once it is gone. Time heals all my friend and I wish you well!

That’s exactly what I was about to write.
Good luck

 

[the8rotor]

Sorry to hear of your struggles with anxiety. I know them all too well. I was in a very similar situation as you just over a year ago... all too similar.

My General Physician did not want me on meds. Told me to find a Therapist, exercise more, and give it some time. That is what I did, and learned to "control" those feelings much better after finding a great Therapist.

I completely understand some people need meds, but I am 100% against them... especially the ones you were prescribed. I have family members who were on the same medications, and the meds put them all in a worse situation than before. The worst situation I have ever been in was coming home to a loved one who was being weaned off Xanax by her doctor, and was teetering on suicidal thoughts. Awful.

Please be careful and DO NOT adjust your medications without consulting a doctor. That means increase or decrease your dosage. I would highly recommend you try out natural ways to cope with and reduce your anxiety. Good luck brother, shit happens and this all will pass.

 

[the8rotor]

One other word of advice... DELETE ALL SOCIAL MEDIA. I did this months ago and this helped me in soooo many ways. Never realized how much SM added unneeded small bouts of anxiety for me as well. Literally this is the only website I post on or give a shit about now hahaha.

 

[Zeffy94]

Xanax is last resort. I am anxious about being addicted and withdrawal so that ironically plays into it. I don’t like taking more than a single dose in any given day. Right now I might pop one just to help me asleep but I’m also content to not pop one and if I don’t sleep then oh well. I don’t know how fast you can get addicted and I don’t want to find out at all.

 

[Byron Sexton]

One other word of advice... DELETE ALL SOCIAL MEDIA. I did this months ago and this helped me in soooo many ways. Never realized how much SM added unneeded small bouts of anxiety for me as well. Literally this is the only website I post on or give a shit about now hahaha.

It's Liberating...like pick up a phone and call me if you want to know my status lol

 

[suhhh]

Wow... this is a car forum but it's nice to see us so supportive of eachother and also going through a lot of the same things. Like you I also have some minor anxiety that as developed over the years as a result of something that happened years back. I don't get anxiety attacks like that (maybe a few times) but majority of the time I'm in my own head about a lot of things even if things are going well, and that also has led me to worry about my car just like you. I had an issue with a bad alignment and for months I was going through a spiral of thinking whether my car was perfect or not, whether it was driving straight, worrying about every little creak I heard and constantly checking my tires for uneven wear. I'm a lot better now and I learned the best thing to do is try to have the enjoyment of driving the car outweigh all those things. I know it's easier said than done, but what helped me a lot is just going on solo drives on my favorite route at night. Any night that had nice cool weather I would just get in my car, crack the windows slightly, shut the radio off and just rip it and hear the engine. I did this a lot and it really helped me enjoy driving and gave me the peace that I needed, I started to worry a lot less about any minor things and just enjoyed the car for what it is.

Anxiety is no joke and I wish you god speed on self healing and recovery. At the same time, Xanax is no joke at all. I'm not going to tell you to stop taking it because it honestly is very helpful and calming you down but it's very easy to fall into dependency. I've fallen to xanax abuse for a little bit but thankfully stopped myself before things got worse. Unprescribed, I kept taking xanax for my music performances and shows because it helped relieve any anxiety and helped me feel comfy, then I started taking them when going out and drinking, blacking out, started taking them after nights of doing coke to help me sleep, taking them to help me sleep in general. I've seen many of my friends and people I know fall to xanax abuse, going through severe withdrawels and seeing their mental state depreciate over the years. Everything is good in moderation, just please be careful when using it.

 

[wildbilly32]

Sorry to hear of your issues. Find a good Dr. you can relate to and be comfortable talking to. Do what the Dr. suggests. As you know many of these types of meds have a therapeutic level they must reach to be effective. I know a lot of people stop taking prescribed meds for numerous reasons i.e.: not doing anything, make me feel different, I don't like how they make me feel... Hang in there. You will work through this. If you love your car keep it. if not let it go. It's just a car. Good luck and keep us updated if you wish to.

 

[Zeffy94]

Wow... this is a car forum but it's nice to see us so supportive of eachother and also going through a lot of the same things.

To be honest, I was a bit hesitant on posting it, but went ahead anyway since I know CivicX is one big family. Words of encouragement definitely help and it's also great to hear about other peoples' experiences with anxiety/panic attacks.

 

[wildbilly32]

I for one appreciate your honesty, Zeffy. There is absolutely nothing wrong with sharing personal things on a forum with "friends." In fact, it can actually be healthy as this thread has shown. There is power and comfort to be found when one learns they are not alone with their challenges. These are stressful times and a community needs to stick together for each other...

 

[suhhh]

To be honest, I was a bit hesitant on posting it, but went ahead anyway since I know CivicX is one big family. Words of encouragement definitely help and it's also great to hear about other peoples' experiences with anxiety/panic attacks.

Yes brother, at the end of the day we are all human, we bleed the same and we have the ability to experience the same/similar emotions as someone else. I sincerely hope that you found some sort of help through all these responses. My anxiety has been slowly getting better over the years and I hope that it will be the same for you

 

[Cornercarver]

While not my career now, my background is psychology. More importantly, although it has been many years, I used to get severe panic attacks when driving in very heavy traffic or if I wasn't 100 % sure of where I was going, let alone when both were present. I remember having to pull over the car and calm down. No fun, you have my sympathy and empathy.
That said, I don't think trading the car will solve the root problem. Sending you healing thoughts and just know it does get better. Be very careful on the meds - some can make things worse. Do explore other paths, and try to get in touch at a deeper level. it is no good to live in fear. I hope that you can find your joy again.

 

[Zeffy94]

While not my career now, my background is psychology. More importantly, although it has been many years, I used to get severe panic attacks when driving in very heavy traffic or if I wasn't 100 % sure of where I was going, let alone when both were present. I remember having to pull over the car and calm down. No fun, you have my sympathy and empathy.
That said, I don't think trading the car will solve the root problem. Sending you healing thoughts and just know it does get better. Be very careful on the meds - some can make things worse. Do explore other paths, and try to get in touch at a deeper level. it is no good to live in fear. I hope that you can find your joy again.

Oh man, those were two of my anxiety triggers beforehand. (Still are) I love exploring new places - but - I don't like not knowing where I need to be, what the land looks like, etc. And heavy traffic in this car gives me hell.

I figured out that caffeine, unsurprisingly, makes my anxiety spike because it makes my heart rate increase and I'm too aware of an increased heart rate right now. So I'm in the process of converting to decaf, because I still enjoy the taste of coffee - just not the anxiety fuel part of it.

 

[GTWaggin']

These responses have been so level-headed and thoughtful. Getting professional help is first and foremost. Do be careful of Xanax and all the members of the benzodiazepene family beyond emergency use. Withdrawal can cause terrible anxiety by itself. It looks like you have a great group of friends here with Hondas. On the lighter side, don't dump the R too quickly. Upshift at 2500 rpm, keep it in Comfort, and put some 18's on! Wishing you a speedy improvement (and you will improve).

 

[themaincop]

This is all too familiar for me, I've been dealing with basically this exact thing for probably 15 years now. I'm at the point now where it's mostly under control but I had some bad relapses last year. You've gotten a lot of advice already but I'll just tell you what's helped me:

Hard exercise
The kind that makes your heart pump fast and scares you. Your body needs this.

Quit coffee
I drink green tea now, it has some caffeine in it but also L-Theanine which I find very helpful

Quit cannabis
For me it's panic attack central

Quit alcohol
You may feel like you're treating your symptoms with it but you're really just taking out a mortgage on your well-being and paying it back with interest

Limit sugar intake
Having your blood sugar spiking and crashing through the day is bad. Eat as clean and healthy as you can, but especially stay away from sweets and simple carbs.

Prioritize sleep
7-8 hours, every night. Get up and go to bed at the same time every day

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Get a therapist you like, do the homework. This has been the single largest positive thing for me. My therapist took me from experiencing horrible panic attacks almost every night to only having a few per year. CBT feels like school, it's a lot of worksheets and printouts and stuff. But it works. Anxiety is a bad mental habit and CBT is a system for building good mental habits instead.

Do Not Avoid Things!
Every time you avoid something because of your anxiety you build up your anxious response. You tell yourself "my anxiety is real, and the things I'm avoiding are real threats." Driving your car scares you? Awesome, go for a drive. Having a fast heartbeat scares you? Go sprint around the block. The more you do the things that you think you can't do the more you reclaim power from anxiety. The more you avoid things the smaller your bubble gets, until you get to the point of not being able to leave the house.

Also I know just about everyone has said this already but be super, super careful with those xannies. I would not take them more than once a week and I would aim to stop taking them with any regularity by the end of a four week period. I have an ativan prescription for flying so I know what a magic pill those benzos can be but they can turn around on you really fast. I know you mentioned not taking them two days in a row, but I would really try to space them out further than that.

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