- Date posted
- 5y ago
- Date posted
- 5y ago
It's an ERP technique that might be best done under the guidance of a specialist but essentially you write a detailed story as if your fear were happening in the present moment. You would write it pretty detailed describing what you would normally do right before getting in the car while driving and then write out everything you're afraid of happening if you were to hit something. Then you read it over and over until the anxiety comes down and often times writing it all out helps the sufferer realize how ridiculous it is. There's a more in depth description if you go to ocdla.com and search imaginable exposure for OCD and anxiety. This can cause a lot of anxiety and might be confusing so I would say ask for guidance from a specialist.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Oh right I don’t realise there are specialist driving instructors I’ll look into that thank you And amazing that you are driving .
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Wow @injapan that's so cool! It's great that resource was available!
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Amazing it’s so brave of you
- Date posted
- 5y ago
The advice that worked for me at the beginning of this is that you would know if you hit something so if you are not 100 percent certain you did you cannot go back and check.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
This is a fear I have to get over myself so that I can finally start driving myself places
- Date posted
- 5y ago
For people that aren't driving yet I read doing an exposure script is helpful.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Exposure script?
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Oh right thank you
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Anytime!
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Do you drive your self ?
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Me? I do. Driving OCD came out of no where for me one day and I stopped driving for two days which was way too difficult to find alternative transportation so it was one of the first exposures I worked on in ERP.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Oh right .anyone with driving OCD is extremely brave ! I hope to break from it one day and drive
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Thanks but I don't feel brave I feel terrified almost all the time. You can do it! This is one fear that was actually easier to manage and my counselor said lots of people have it and get over it fast after exposures. It's all consuming when the obsessions come on but once you start driving it gets easier. Have you driven before?
- Date posted
- 5y ago
I mean you are brave for doing it even though you feel terrified that is amazing No I haven’t driven before but I’m scared to
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Thank you : ) ok so learning how to drive will be a great exposure for you. Where you live do they have driving instructors or driving school?
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Probably why?
- Date posted
- 5y ago
That way you could start out learning in an empty parking lot with an instructor. Everyone's nervous when they first learn to drive but of course OCD will make it even more scary. When I took driving school it was with an instructor that had a break on their side of the car so they were able to stop the car at any time. Your fear might even go away after learning to drive.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Thank you very much for all the advice
- Date posted
- 5y ago
You're welcome!
- Date posted
- 5y ago
I had problems with motorway driving all my adult life. Say until 35. Then I decided to tackle it. I was able to find a special driving instructor who teaches people with anxiety; people who had been in an accident; people with autism. I rang and explained I have OCD and fear of motorways. I did 2 lessons with the lady and now I can do it. I hired a car overseas and drove me and my kids everywhere this year. I dont love it but I can do it. ?
- Date posted
- 5y ago
I think the best thing was that I could tell her I had a problem and she was cool with that. I trusted her.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
I’m amazed at all the response so thank you everyone for helping me out
Related posts
- Date posted
- 18w ago
hi. so one big factor of my OCD is rumination. i met a guy who i have a crush on the idea of (idea bc there are red flags). my biggest fear is not finding true love, my ex told me no one else would deal with what i have (my ocd, specifically reassurance seeking and getting overstimulated after intimacy). a few weeks ago, my friends and family all gathered and tried to give me advice that sounded like “you’re shy and you’ll never find someone.” after that, i’ve felt off. i’ve been using an unhealthy coping skill, daydreaming, and i’ve just felt unbalanced. my ocd makes everything feel different sometimes, i can’t explain it. life, myself, almost like being in a dissociated state. has anyone else experienced that? i don’t know how to remain balanced during my off times and i know pms exasperates it all. i take ashwaghanda and omega 3s in a multi vitamin daily. i take them all together in the evening but i’ve missed three days recently and also messed with my rocky sleep schedule because of fun times with friends. i hope these supplements work, because i don’t know if i’d be brave enough for medication. i had a bad reaction on prozac and often am forgetful. i just have been battling my OCD consciously for almost ten years now and unconsciously for longer. i am so tired, as my mental health extends beyond my OCD. i’m in talk therapy with some cbt aspects but i only see her twice a month. i’ve broken down so many times and promised myself id get on track or that certain things would work, but it’s like i am stuck in a circle that gets smaller when i’m able to help myself. i just want to be normal. i want to be able to mess up my sleep schedule to enjoy good times and not suffer horrible consequences or fear that i will be entirely thrown off balance. i don’t want to worry or doubt or feel so dissociative that i squint my eyes for a moment and wonder why i feel so unreal. i will never understand why god has allowed me to go through this. i cannot let it be for nothing but i don’t know how much more to bend and contort my body and brain to get somewhere stable but how lovely it would be if i could. i don’t have much of a schedule right now, i get apathetic and give in with things from time to time. one thing can trigger me and i am back to square one wether in a week or month. any advice, any and all is so helpful. your stories, your thoughts. maybe feeling less alone and knowing what has helped you is exactly what i need right now. thank you 💗
- Date posted
- 15w ago
I've never seen a therapist or been diagnosed, so I went surfing through to find this community. I've seen a lot of OCD symptoms written online. Here is what I experience that I feel may be OCD. If any of you guys agrees, please let me know. I have only ever been able to call my mom by her first name. I have never been able to not do that. She tried to make me call her mom once as a kid but it felt so wrong that I started crying. Everytime I see a wet floor sign, I say "piso mojado" out loud. I have plenty of harsh intrusive thoughts, such as committing acts of violence when I see people not using their turn signals, interrupting performers at a concert. I make myself re-press on my phone alarms 10-12 times each day in the same rythym until it feels fully set to go off. Light switches get flicked off and on, I can't stand not doing it. I have to double-check everything and make myself re-look through the same drawers at work for hours. I love to write, but I never get far because I need approval from others. My head is also always filled to the brim with thoughts which has made writing and things like memory a lot harder. I can't use spoons. I can only use forks for almost everything. I can't stand them. That's all I can think of for right now. Please let me know what you guys think. Thanks!
- Date posted
- 13w ago
whats up guys what are some tips dealing with ocd and what to do when a thought makes u anxious ??
Be a part of the largest OCD Community
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond