Found a New Trigger - Just What I Needed
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Found a New Trigger - Just What I Needed
| Fri, 12-16-2005 - 3:33pm |
I have lived in the same area my whole life, so same winter weather. The other day I was driving in the snow/sleet, which never bothered me before and had an anxiety attack. Then it happened again a couple days after. How can some things become triggers after so long being okay?
Alison

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Alison, I often wonder the same exact thing!
Sheri Ann
Hi Alison. In my opinion it has more to do with what's going on in your life at the time of the attack than the supposed "trigger". When I had my first attack it was while driving. I was under an extreme amount of stress at the time and was driving to Maryland by myself (about a 7 hour trip). I love to drive, especially long distance. The car wasn't my problem but some unresolved issues I was having before I left.
We tend to connect the situation we're in at the time with the attack and think that's the cause but it's really not. We get stuck in the spiral when we become afraid of the thing we think triggered it. If you have an attack in the car one day, the grocery store the next, the laundrymat the next and school the following day and assume that all these things are triggers, the next thing you know you will be unable to do all the things you are used to doing. We need to separate the feelings of anxiety from the reality of the situation. Is there anything stressful going on that could cause this?
Thanks.
I could make a list of all my current stressors but don't want to bore anyone. Maybe that is all it is. Hopefully, when I work out my current problems, my anxiety will lessen. I do have fluid behind my ears which was making me dizzy that day when I was driving, maybe that is why I was so anxious. I have been on antibiotics for two days and the dizziness has subsided. Hopefully the driving incidents were isolated to that dizzy feeling.
Alison
Edited 12/16/2005 4:23 pm ET by atober
Alison, I couldn't agree more with Dharma.
Sheri Ann
This has always been troubling for me too. I have no problem driving around town and most of the time I have little trouble driving into the cities. But when it snows and the roads are slick I am a nervous wreck and I will avoid driving. But sometimes I cannot avoid it and I just try to be careful. I think my anxiety about winter driving actually makes me a much better winter driver. I've only slid off into a ditch once in my 16 years behind the wheel. So that's good.
What gets me going is driving while it is snowing and the visibility is nearly zero. That happened to me last year. Totally caught me off guard. I was praying to God the entire way home going about 20mph in a 55mph zone. I made it. Boy was I happy to be home!
Jennifer
"Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evi
Hello Everyone,
When I first started to get my anxiety when I was younger. I would have problems driving home from work. My hands would get shaky while driving stick shift and I would get so much fear over things...scary thoughts! How would I go to work and what would happen to me. I would have all of these scenarios going through my mind and it would make me more anxious. I kept driving, on certain occasions I would pull over and hyperventilate and than I just started to let myself have them since I knew I always got better. So I kept sensitizing myself to the circumstances and kept pushing through. It was horribly scary but in my heart I knew that I would not die or go crazy!!! In looking back, I can say that my fears that produced my anxiety's were coming from getting out of high school and the "fear of the unknown" how would I take care of myself, etc. I than dated my boyfriend for 5 years that passed away when I was younger and realized how I was not functioning even than. I would limit myself and started avoiding so many things to get by. I still have issues with things that give me anxiety but I am not ashamed of them. I was so afraid that someone would know that I was having panic attacks and look at me differently. Now, when I am scared for example I went to the Dentist yesterday. He knows I get nervous, I tell that I know it sounds odd, but I get scared when I get numb, because I am afraid of my ball in my throat swelling so humor me and give me a mirror. I do not care what he thinks and he realizes that I am getting better and once I get past the initial fear I am fine..... I just try to keep pushing...next week I am flying alone to visit friends in Arizona. I flew for the first time alone in Nov. Now, I am trying to do it again because I know that I always wanted to do this but never had the nerve. I get anxious thinking what if I flip on the plane!! It has never happened and I know that my fear is what fuels me.....but I just consider it one of my scary thoughts!
The hardest thing I will recommend is that when you experience panic in a mall or something like that. Just sit on a chair and ride it through if you are afraid or ashamed that people will find out that you have anxiety. Just tell them you are hypoglycemic or something like that. You will not have to feel ashamed, which was a big one for me. Than you get to the point where you could not care less what people think! Also, you will realize that everyone has something that sets them off.
This too shall pass!! It always does, nothing is a setback, try not to think of how things were and you will realize that when you start changing behaviors. Like maybe you were to nice to people or felt guilty too much these things will lesson since you will be true to yourself!
Sorry this was a long one!!!
Paula
Thanks for sharing all that valuable info, Paula. We provide unlimited typing space(I think we do) just for this purpose. ITA with all that you've said. The small steps & desensitizing myself got me back behind the wheel. Though for many years, I told noone about my anxiety, when I finally loosened up, what a relief! I still worry about what others think, but not the anxiety part of my life. I have accepted the fact that chemically I am made differently & don't have to make any excuses for what I have no control over. This is a flaw in my chemistry. Not my character. I have told my dentist, my hairdresser (ya never know) any hospital personnel whether they are x-raying me or pushing me in a wheelchair, etc. It is a relief to get it out in the open, but it also makes me feel that others will be prepared in the UNLIKELY event that I panic. Wishing you continued success. I certainly appreciate your insight. HAGD! (((hugs))) jan
Jan - Thanks so much for thinking of me. I am doing okay. Still have my issues with DD's school, selling our other house and work. My pdoc and I have decided that when these issues are resolved that I should be better. I have been mostly lurking but not too much. Seems that reading about the anxiety keeps my mind on it. So, I have been trying to distract myself from it. I am sorry I am not here to give support to those of you that need it as you have done so many times for me. When I feel stronger I will definitely be posting more and hopefully my experience can help someone else. I am sending good vibes to everyone that things are going well and will definitely be back to posting hopefully sooner than later.
Alison
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