bluebackpack
06-15-2009, 08:43 AM
I'm glad this forum exists. It definitely makes me feel less alone in my fear. I know when I talk about it some people act like I'm exagerrating or just being silly.
My main fear is driving on interstates. The worst thing about my fear is that I imagine accidents happening constantly. It's rough because I have an internship, and to get to it, I have to drive about 25 miles on an interstate. I tried going on a back way to see if that would be better, but the road was really curvy, and I could see more potential for an accident. I get the most nervous when there is not enough space between the cars, like if someone is tailgating me and possibly being an angry driver. Especially if there's a diesel truck and they're following too close behind me, I start freaking out, or if I see someone around me make a mistake. I'm really hypervigilant when I drive, and I grip the steering wheel very tightly. My whole body feels tense I haven't stopped driving though because I feel like I have to.
I was always afraid of driving somewhat, but I became a lot more afraid after I was injured in an accident. I was crossing the street, so I was a pedestrian and not in my car, but since I was seriously injured (compression fracture in my spine), it made me far more aware of how easily something like that can happen out of nowhere.
What makes this more complicated is that I'm a law student working for a personal injury firm, and most of the cases I look at are from car accidents. It makes me a lot more aware of how often accidents can happen, even to a careful driver. It seems rational for me to be scared considering how badly I was injured, and I feel like driving is something most people don't take seriously.
I've been driving for about 8 years but I didn't feel this way until after the accident. The fear seems to be increasing. When I was learning to drive, my parents were so nervous that they hired a driver's ed instructor to give me lessons rather than teach me themselves, so that might have imprinted some fear onto me also.
This is definitely affecting my everday life. I fixate on how accidents happened in the case files I get at work, and I also get so nervous about driving the next day to my internship that it's hard for me to sleep and I dread it. I'm starting to wonder if I would benefit from therapy, but I don't have much time to go see a therapist, with my job and internship. I guess I should MAKE time since it's affecting my life quite a bit. Any thoughts on how I can relax? I actually feel afraid to relax because then I feel like I won't be as vigilant in case I need to react quickly.
My main fear is driving on interstates. The worst thing about my fear is that I imagine accidents happening constantly. It's rough because I have an internship, and to get to it, I have to drive about 25 miles on an interstate. I tried going on a back way to see if that would be better, but the road was really curvy, and I could see more potential for an accident. I get the most nervous when there is not enough space between the cars, like if someone is tailgating me and possibly being an angry driver. Especially if there's a diesel truck and they're following too close behind me, I start freaking out, or if I see someone around me make a mistake. I'm really hypervigilant when I drive, and I grip the steering wheel very tightly. My whole body feels tense I haven't stopped driving though because I feel like I have to.
I was always afraid of driving somewhat, but I became a lot more afraid after I was injured in an accident. I was crossing the street, so I was a pedestrian and not in my car, but since I was seriously injured (compression fracture in my spine), it made me far more aware of how easily something like that can happen out of nowhere.
What makes this more complicated is that I'm a law student working for a personal injury firm, and most of the cases I look at are from car accidents. It makes me a lot more aware of how often accidents can happen, even to a careful driver. It seems rational for me to be scared considering how badly I was injured, and I feel like driving is something most people don't take seriously.
I've been driving for about 8 years but I didn't feel this way until after the accident. The fear seems to be increasing. When I was learning to drive, my parents were so nervous that they hired a driver's ed instructor to give me lessons rather than teach me themselves, so that might have imprinted some fear onto me also.
This is definitely affecting my everday life. I fixate on how accidents happened in the case files I get at work, and I also get so nervous about driving the next day to my internship that it's hard for me to sleep and I dread it. I'm starting to wonder if I would benefit from therapy, but I don't have much time to go see a therapist, with my job and internship. I guess I should MAKE time since it's affecting my life quite a bit. Any thoughts on how I can relax? I actually feel afraid to relax because then I feel like I won't be as vigilant in case I need to react quickly.