Three anxious drivers will chauffeur me around today….. Their different coping strategies interest me! The first has discovered that if we walk around as we plan our session at the start, it discharges the panic that she finds builds prior to a lesson. The second one finds somewhere safe to stop if things become overwhelming without prompting now, shuts her eyes and breathes in and out equally. It’s amazing to watch how quickly her whole body relaxes…. before she feels able to set off again! The last has fairly severe panic attacks. Once stopped, he finds that shutting his eyes and cupping his hands over his nose and mouth while breathing deeply certainly gets rid of the worst feelings of his panic. He then voices a ‘This isn’t going to stop me’ mantra till he feels able to drive again. Acknowledging that it can take 15 minutes for a bad attack to subside, but knowing that his body is doing the best it can at this time, has been a big help.
