Developing fear of being stuck in traffic

[jurassicbond]

I'm trying to find out if anyone has had a similar situation to mine and how they've dealt with it.  For the past month I've had anxiety about driving on the interstate, especially when I think I might get stuck in traffic.  It started when I had some stomach bug which caused me to get extremely nauseous when I was driving and I had to pull over ASAP and find a place to vomit or use the bathroom.  This happened a couple of times and the second time I even had to call coworkers to come get me and my car and then have my wife come drive me home.

Now ever since then, I've had a fear of being stuck in traffic somewhere and getting sick again without having anyway to get out of the situation.  I'm usually fine driving around local roads, but I have to drive through Atlanta for work and traffic is often bad, especially in the afternoons.  Driving on back roads isn't much better during rush hour due to a lack of good places to pull over and stop in downtown.  I have no experiences with anxiety before this intense, so this is kind of a new and scary feeling for me.  I'm also a very experienced driver and over the last 5 years have driven all over the Southeast U.S. for work and not had any previous issues with driving or being stuck in traffic.

I think it doesn't help that in the mornings, I always feel a little out of it no matter how well rested I am.  I've had days in the past where I woke up just feeling a little more tired than usual and that turned into something serious withing a few hours.  Now it's like my brain is always questioning whether or not I'm really OK during those first few hours of the day.  It also doesn't help that whatever made me initially sick left me with bad sinus congestion that still hasn't completely gone away and last week actually took a turn for the worse.

Luckily my boss has been understanding about the issue, and a coworker has been able to give me rides.  I still want to hurry and get over this issue though since I don't like depending on other people and my coworker works a different schedule than what I like to work.  A doctor and therapist said it sounds like post traumatic stress from the incidents when I got sick while driving and that with time it should go away on its own, but it doesn't seem to be getting better.  Am I just not giving it enough time?  The doctor also gave me buspirone to calm my anxiety, but it doesn't seem to work that well for me.

I have tried driving through Atlanta this weekend when there wasn't any traffic, and I had my wife with me as a kind of security blanket, and I was mostly fine, though still a little nervous when I reached areas that typically are backed up in my commute.  I also tried driving some when we went on a weekend trip outside the city, and I was completely fine then. It really seems to be just traffic in particular that I have issues with, though I haven't tried driving much on the interstate alone.

[cmac21]

Found a CD on Amazon, also on ITunes that may be good for you. It's called Goodbye Anxiety Goodbye Fear by Roberta Shapiro. There is a section for driving. The reviews seem very good.

[cmac21]

Maybe you can try forcing yourself to do it, then when you get to work or home successfully, you should almost have a little celebration. By doing that, maybe you can start convincing yourself that nothing bad is going to happen because you already did it successfully x amount of time.

[CFS56]

One more thing I meant to add.   It won't get better until you can convince your brain that you aren't really in danger.   If you can get through the drive even once, that is something you can build on.

[CFS56]

I have random episodes of my heart taking off and beating all crazy and have had to be hospitalized once and have been in ER a bunch of times.  I hate to be stuck in traffic..I start to panic, afraid something will happen and nobody will be able to get to me.  .I refuse to let it get me.  So what I have done is always have audio books with me.  When I'm stuck in traffic, I plug in a book and get my mind somewhere else.  Or call somebody and talk while you are creeping along.  It took some practice but it usually works for me.  Had one time a couple of summers ago when the interstate was completely stopped.  Had to get out of the car and stand outside, ended up talking to the lady in the car behind me and before I knew it, we were moving.  So try some things to get your mind off yourself and think about something else.  

[jurassicbond]

I've thought about it and I know that at worst nothing really bad can happen, but it doesn't do that much good.  I kind of feel silly, because I read about people having actual bad physical symptoms with their anxiety, but mine doesn't seem to be that severe.  It feels like something I should be able to work through on my own, but I just can't.  Other than maybe increased heart rate, there's no physical element to how I feel.  It's just a nagging in my mind about the condition of my body that I can't stop thinking about and makes me scared of getting in those situations, and for some reason it seems to be getting worse instead of better.

Last night my ride told me he couldn't pick me up this morning and since I had been doing fine driving around my home I decided I would try and drive into work this morning.  I spent all night worrying about it and not getting that much sleep, then when I did try this morning I couldn't even bring myself to get on the interstate.  I wound up turning around and working from home.

[cmac21]

When I have to drive on the highway to the city, or even on regular roads that are heavily trafficked I get really anxious. My hands use to get all tingly. Now I just feel my chest get really tight and like I can't breathe. It does not bother me when I drive around in my own town or other neighboring towns, but when I go to the big city it happens. Fortunately I don't have to travel there often, so I usually avoid it or have my husband drive. I don't really have a solution for you, but rather wanted to let you know that you are not alone.

It does sound like that time you were sick was a traumatic event that has now left you worried that it is going to happen again. Have you tried running through scenarios and evaluating what the outcomes might be. Have you tried asking yourself what the worst thing that could happen?