Getting into an accident can be a life-altering and traumatic experience that can result in a number of physical, emotional, financial, and psychological hardships. One of the most difficult challenges that you may be faced with after an accident is driving anxiety. This fear, regarded as vehophobia, can significantly impact your daily life. Learning to manage and treat this anxiety is essential to regaining independence and finding a sense of normalcy again in your life. In this article, we will explore some common symptoms of vehophobia, as well as some useful strategies to help you overcome this fear.
Symptoms of Vehophobia
Vehophobia is often considered a form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is a mental health condition that arises from a stressful or traumatizing event. While the symptoms of vehophobia can vary from person to person, some common ones include:
Panic attacks when driving or thinking about driving
Tense muscles when driving or thinking about driving
Difficulty concentrating while driving
Hypervigilant about another accident occurring
Actively avoiding having to drive or taking routes near the accident
Fear of losing control while driving
It is important to know that you may be able to recover compensation for these psychological injuries inflicted by the accident by filing a personal injury lawsuit with the assistance of a Lakewood car accident attorney. Psychological injuries can take just as significant of a toll on one’s life as physical injuries can.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
One of the most effective treatments when it comes to driving anxiety is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This is a form of psychotherapy that helps individuals change the negative thinking patterns that contribute to the individual’s driving anxiety and replaces them with positive and more balanced thinking. This is accomplished through goal-oriented talk therapy that challenges victims to make connections between their thoughts and behaviors related to the accident.
Relaxation Techniques
Incorporating relaxation techniques into your daily routine can also make a significant difference in your ability to manage your vehophobia. Techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and meditation all help to calm the body’s stress response, thereby reducing the physical symptoms of anxiety. Before driving, be sure to practice some deep breathing exercises to help relax your mind, body, and muscles.
Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy is another approach that can be used for individuals dealing with vehophobia. This involves gradually exposing yourself to the feared situation, which, in this case, would be driving. Doing this in a controlled and systematic way helps to desensitize those with driving anxiety from the fear and retain your brain to associate driving with safety and security instead. This may look like starting out with sitting in a parked car and slowly working your way up to driving short distances on quiet roads.
Medication
In some cases, anxiety medication may be prescribed to individuals dealing with vehophobia. The medication may be used in conjunction with other coping techniques to help manage the symptoms of anxiety, such as panic attacks and an increased heart rate. Ideally, medication is prescribed by a medical professional as a short-term solution to help make exposure therapy and CBT more effective. Over time, the goal is to reduce one’s reliance and dependency on the medication as coping strategies and confidence are improved and anxiety is reduced.
