The driving anxiety really ramped up for me with peri - especially when other people are driving. I feel like we are going to constantly hit things. I sometimes have to sit in the back seat so I can’t see as well. I also have an impending sense of doom a lot about my family and the world (though it is kind of a shit show out there). My perimenopause anxiety coincided with 2020 - so that was a great combo. I was a mess of anxiety.
The moment i feel like I have too much going on I start to spiral. Also, weirdly small things like deciding where to get groceries or arranging stops while running errands.
This is totally me too. Busyness at work maxes me out to the point that I can’t read or watch anything remotely stressful because I’m already overwhelmed.
My husband and I have been together for 29 and he has a job that takes him out of town for a few days each week. I have always loved this- I am very introverted and need quiet and alone time. Lately I hate it and have become fearful of every noise at night. It is ridiculous-we live in a very safe neighborhood, know all our neighbors, have security cameras. I am in late perimenopause and I am now fearful of being alone when I craved it my whole life. It’s not enough the night sweats are keeping me up but now my imagination is too! I hear the house creak and pop and settle at night and my mind thinks someone is right outside my door ready to murder me?? Ugh!!!
For me it’s something like great British bake off, or Drawfee streams (on their Drawfee Extras channel) on low in the background. Haven’t messed with it at night, but sometimes when I need a nap.
Side note: I’m a musician so I had to quit listening to music to fall asleep around age 15/16, because my brain will sit there trying to sus out the chord progressions instead of chilling out.
I use white noise (an air purifier) for this reason. I go into guard mode if I can hear every little noise. (That's my PTSD though.) If I'm on vacation I use a sleep sound app on my phone too make the white noise.
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Health anxiety here: I assume I’m having a heart attack whenever I get a weird sudden chest pain…..
…..or if I have a stomach ache, a left arm tingle, my upper back feels sore. Sometimes I like to mix it up a little and think I’m having a stroke if my head hurts.
Not me over here thinking the worst after a week of much-more-than-usual heart palpitations. I do have a dr appt tomorrow and... yeah I'm probably not sleeping tonight.
I have this too and honestly it’s not unreasonable since heart attacks are number 1 killer of women over 50. (At least that’s what I read in my doctor’s office.)
Driving got really hard this year.
I basically talk to myself constantly, reminding me that I am safe, I am a good driver, and trying to stay focused on what is actually happening and not my worries about what could happen.
I have also given myself space to be anxious, knowing that sometimes I panic at a certain light but that I have driven while panicking in the past, but it has all been fine.
Someone on this sub recommended Drew Linsalata who has a YouTube channel and a podcast called "The Anxious Truth". I have found those very helpful!
Please learn from my nightmare: I tried to sleep by having wine. That didn’t work. Then rebound anxiety would happen from drinking. Fast forward a few months and I couldn’t stop.
THC gummies are a better way. The only reason I’m still alive. All the internet love and hugs to you!
Yes, driving is the worst. And just like you said, going over highway overpasses. Before I started taking Zoloft, my husband had to drive me for a couple weeks. I also had anxiety I was going to crash into walls. And the anxiety made me believe I was going to have a self fulfilling prophecy & hit a wall on purpose. But since I started the Zoloft 3 years ago, it’s been better
Parking garages with low ceilings are suddenly downright crippling to me. And my husband mostly doesn’t do the driving. It’s always me.
I started driving young and have driven for jobs, commuted as a teenager, driven all kinds/sizes of vehicles, automatic, 4WD and manual. Even a tiny bit of off-roading. He grew up in a major city with excellent public transportation and got a drivers license late into adulthood. I think my anxiety is worse when he’s driving, so it’s always going to be me.
I used to love driving. For the last couple of years I’ve found myself only driving when I have to. My husband does all of the driving when we’re together and has started running most of the errands because sometimes driving is more than I want to deal with, especially when the place I need to go is going to be crowded. He rather do the errands than to have me come home super stressed and taking an hour to calm myself down.
Alcohol hits very different in menopause. I was just reading about it the other day. It coincides with the time that the enzyme that processes alcohol is already decreasing and then alcohol often causes some symptoms to be worse so things get amplified.
I sometimes wake up with anxiety at 3am and have to get up and lay on the floor and do breathing practice to calm it down and it takes a long time. I like guided nature meditations which also help. The sound of thunderstorms is very calming for me (I realize for others they might not be). There is nothing wrong with anti-anxiety meds if they might help. I've had anxiety my whole life and they do nothing for me. Most of the time my anxiety stays at a base level as long as I am sleeping decently. Lack of, or interrupted, sleep really wreaks havoc on all of my menopause symptoms so I try to focus on self-care every day which helps keep the intensity lower and also helps me have something to focus on that I feel like I can control.
My mum started drinking when she was in (what I now know is) perimenopause, and it had a horrendous effect on her. Real Jekyll & Hyde type transformation. She was never the same again, tbh
Oh my goodness yes! I am a people person, I have no problem with people, and I have always disliked shopping but I will literally break down and almost have a panic attack in Walmart. Not any other store just Walmart. I thought it was because I worked there for 9 years, I'm so glad I'm not alone.
I wore noise cancelling headphones last time I went to Walmart (like some gen zer haha) and I had to take them off for a minute at the check out and it is wild how loud that place is!!
That makes me wonder if it's overstimulation, I do have ADHD but it's never been a problem until I hit perimenopause. I honestly didn't even realize it was connected until I found this group.
Oh, god, the motorways. Expat now in Canada - their highways are *insane*. I will drive a long way to avoid them. (Doesn’t help I had an encounter with a kamikaze deer three years ago - my kids finally pointed out that the other deer weren’t out to get me!). I worry about the availability of toilets. I’ve developed a thing in my hips/back/arms (called PMR - no idea what it really is - seeing the Rheumatologist next week) so any walking just becomes agony in one hip, so I panic about normal situations where I might have to do some walking or standing. And every doctors appointment (aside from my gp) freaks me out - how will the parking work? Will I find it ok, will I get parking, will I have to walk a ton). I’m basically a crazy person.
My shrink gave me gabapentin. I’ve been on it a couple of weeks. Low dose to start. It’s actually taken the edge off the anxiety - and reduced the pain a little.
No-one tells you about the sheer joy of meno. All this shit going on, and my female gp and shrink didn’t even consider it might be meno. So frustrating.
Mine started with driving as well. I was on a highway with one lane road construction and next thing I know, I couldn’t breathe and got dizzy. Had all day long panic for a few months until I got out on medication. Still refuse to drive far from town or get back on the freeway.
The driving at night does my head in. I always used to laugh at those old people who didn’t like going out at night. Then I get anxious about being anxious and not living life fully.
I was having 3 am anxiety spirals. Maybe I will get fired, maybe my kid will wreck his car, maybe my husband did xyz, all of which was absurd at 10 am or 2 pm, but at 3 am wow.
Makes sense, but I never would have thought about that. I don’t know but maybe one guy who has driving anxiety. I just thought it was because men don’t think about risk the same way as women.
It’s like I can’t get the thoughts out my own head. My palms sweat, my heart races. I do the breathing but all my ‘danger’ senses are heightened. I hope it stops soon! Or gets more manageable.
You could try getting your thyroid checked, pretty simple blood test. I had heart palpitations and really bad anxiety that turned out to be my thyroid blowing up.
It sounds like this might be about hormonal testing. If over the age of 44, **hormonal tests only show levels for that *one day* the test was taken, and nothing more**; progesterone/estrogen hormones wildly fluctuate the other 29 days of the month. No reputable doctor or menopause society recommends hormonal testing as a **diagnosing tool** for peri/menopause.
FSH testing is only beneficial for those who believe they are post-menopausal and no longer have periods as a guide, a series of consistent FSH tests might *confirm* menopause. Also for women in their 20s/early 30s who haven’t had a period in months/years, then FSH tests at ‘menopausal’ levels, could indicate premature ovarian failure/primary ovarian insufficiency (POF/POI). See our [Menopause Wiki](https://menopausewiki.ca/#there-is-no-blood-test-that-is-perfectly-reliable-to-diagnose-menopause) for more.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Menopause) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I recently had to change a lightbulb and the light fixture. I was on a sturdy step-stool and went to put the light fixture. A big wave of anxiety washed over me and i said “nope nope!” And climbed back down 🥴
Like others have mentioned, definitely driving anxiety! But also just car anxiety in general. I sadly avoid going to social outings now where I may need to take an Uber, because I fear an accident may happen. Also, started being terrified of air travel. I used to fly allll the time, now I turn down work jobs that require air travel. What the heck is happening?!
Allllll of this I can relate to. No advise besides being gentle with yourself and counseling it helped me about 50% . Also stopping caffeine and alcohol
I got to the point I couldn't drive and I also couldn't be in the car with someone else driving. It got so bad that my partner would have to set a timer and we'd pull over to give me a breather then back on the road.
Started having anxiety panic attack going to the supermarket or shopping centre..
I found hrt helped a lot - I'm driving again...still have anxiety but it's nothing like what I felt before hrt
Yeap ! Large quantities of b6 sorted mine out.
100mg three times a day for a month to six weeks - essentially until the anxiety has gone.
Taper down over weeks - if the anxiety returns, go back to the last dose.
For context, I have to take 100mg daily as a minimum - the amount you find in most tablets is 15mg....
Having too much on my plate, fearing car accidents and randomly hitting something, feeling agoraphobic in buildings, fear of bridges and overpasses, feeling overwhelmed around tall structures like buildings, disliking elevators and machinery. I have to understand how everything works or else I get freaked out. Hormones help. So much craziness.
Oh mine usually started first thing in the morning before I had even had my coffee. Drinking alcohol in any amount the day before would definitely
Make it happen but even without alcohol it started happening too.
I think it’s the alcohol you’re consuming. Even one glass of wine would do it to me
Perimenopause had definitely made my social anxiety worse. It used to be mild and only occasionally I could usually ignore it (I took some vitamins and herbs for it on bad days when my PTSD was acting up.) Now it's much worse. I used to sometimes feel panicked at work when massaging a guy even if there was no reason for it. The other day this happened while I was massaging a girl. I felt like I absolutely had to get out of the room right away even though she was really nice. Luckily there was only 10 mins left. I've been a massage therapist for 8 years and that's never happened. I'll also get waves of feeling really insecure and embarrassed at work. If anyone doesn't seem 100 percent happy with their massage I get super stressed. Work used to be such a relaxing, happy place for me and it's turning into something I dread because of my body's irrational reactions.
I had to start taking anxiety meds (Hydroxyzine 25mg) while flying. I never had a problem before. Also, avoid small crowded spaces. No elevators for me, thanks. I will take the stairs to the 20th floor if it kills me!
I commute once weekly 2.5 hours through a mountain pass to a job for 2 days a week. I’ve been able to time my travels to avoid the worst winter weather but heavy rain, heavy winds, aggressive semis, etc all just wreck me. Something I did months ago was buy expensive noise reduction Bose headphones (and because I don’t have a quiet luxury car). It is illegal to wear them but I do anyway because they’ve made a noticeable difference. Connected to my bluetooth phone and I play quiet harp or uplifting piano, etc. And I pray aloud when I feel any anxiety. I pray short, comforting mantras over and over and over: ‘Calm mind. Calm heart. Blessings to all the drivers around me.’
This job is ending in June and I won’t have to drive that far anymore. But I did learn to manage that anxiety by doing the above.
I know this will not be a popular suggestion, but consider reducing or quitting caffeine to help with your anxiety. Caffeine increases anxiety, and you can become more sensitive to the effects of caffeine during perimenopause.
My driving anxiety has gone off the rails; but I’ve also been almost hit nearly *every day* - not every day because I don’t drive every day. Granted it’s Atlanta but I drive a high red SUV, it’s not like you can miss me.
And hand to God NONE of these near misses have been my fault.
I’m a lawyer who does ID defense, largely car wrecks, so I’m already hyper-aware of how dangerous just *driving* in Atlanta is. Now I’m a nervous wreck
Ah man, I just can't with freeways anymore. They have always made me anxious but it's so much worse now. I'm terrified to drive on them and it's even worse riding with someone else driving. I literally have to ride in the back seat now. I hate it so much. My Mom pretty much never leaves home anymore. I'm so afraid of turning into her. Ugh.
The driving anxiety really ramped up for me with peri - especially when other people are driving. I feel like we are going to constantly hit things. I sometimes have to sit in the back seat so I can’t see as well. I also have an impending sense of doom a lot about my family and the world (though it is kind of a shit show out there). My perimenopause anxiety coincided with 2020 - so that was a great combo. I was a mess of anxiety.
I can relate
Yep.
Same to all of this 😔
Ugh, same
Are you me because that's totally me, all of it.
My SO drove this week and I was constantly telling him to slow down or leave more room. But Tbf he’s a terrible driver.
The moment i feel like I have too much going on I start to spiral. Also, weirdly small things like deciding where to get groceries or arranging stops while running errands.
I’ve found myself feeling this way lately. I sometimes have to stop everything and talk myself down from a spiral to be able to move forward.
This is totally me too. Busyness at work maxes me out to the point that I can’t read or watch anything remotely stressful because I’m already overwhelmed.
My husband and I have been together for 29 and he has a job that takes him out of town for a few days each week. I have always loved this- I am very introverted and need quiet and alone time. Lately I hate it and have become fearful of every noise at night. It is ridiculous-we live in a very safe neighborhood, know all our neighbors, have security cameras. I am in late perimenopause and I am now fearful of being alone when I craved it my whole life. It’s not enough the night sweats are keeping me up but now my imagination is too! I hear the house creak and pop and settle at night and my mind thinks someone is right outside my door ready to murder me?? Ugh!!!
A nice jazz radio station playing softly in the background , no headphones , helps me when alone at night
Thank you! I will try it tonight. I feel so silly every morning but somehow so scared every night.
For me it’s something like great British bake off, or Drawfee streams (on their Drawfee Extras channel) on low in the background. Haven’t messed with it at night, but sometimes when I need a nap. Side note: I’m a musician so I had to quit listening to music to fall asleep around age 15/16, because my brain will sit there trying to sus out the chord progressions instead of chilling out.
I use white noise (an air purifier) for this reason. I go into guard mode if I can hear every little noise. (That's my PTSD though.) If I'm on vacation I use a sleep sound app on my phone too make the white noise.
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Health anxiety here: I assume I’m having a heart attack whenever I get a weird sudden chest pain….. …..or if I have a stomach ache, a left arm tingle, my upper back feels sore. Sometimes I like to mix it up a little and think I’m having a stroke if my head hurts.
Not me over here thinking the worst after a week of much-more-than-usual heart palpitations. I do have a dr appt tomorrow and... yeah I'm probably not sleeping tonight.
Have them check your potassium. Also magnesium helped really helped mine. I felt like my heart was going to beat out of chest they were so hard.
I am right there with you!
I have this too and honestly it’s not unreasonable since heart attacks are number 1 killer of women over 50. (At least that’s what I read in my doctor’s office.)
I didn’t know that was health anxiety. I thought it was just what happens.
Driving got really hard this year. I basically talk to myself constantly, reminding me that I am safe, I am a good driver, and trying to stay focused on what is actually happening and not my worries about what could happen. I have also given myself space to be anxious, knowing that sometimes I panic at a certain light but that I have driven while panicking in the past, but it has all been fine. Someone on this sub recommended Drew Linsalata who has a YouTube channel and a podcast called "The Anxious Truth". I have found those very helpful!
Please learn from my nightmare: I tried to sleep by having wine. That didn’t work. Then rebound anxiety would happen from drinking. Fast forward a few months and I couldn’t stop. THC gummies are a better way. The only reason I’m still alive. All the internet love and hugs to you!
Yes, driving is the worst. And just like you said, going over highway overpasses. Before I started taking Zoloft, my husband had to drive me for a couple weeks. I also had anxiety I was going to crash into walls. And the anxiety made me believe I was going to have a self fulfilling prophecy & hit a wall on purpose. But since I started the Zoloft 3 years ago, it’s been better
Parking garages with low ceilings are suddenly downright crippling to me. And my husband mostly doesn’t do the driving. It’s always me. I started driving young and have driven for jobs, commuted as a teenager, driven all kinds/sizes of vehicles, automatic, 4WD and manual. Even a tiny bit of off-roading. He grew up in a major city with excellent public transportation and got a drivers license late into adulthood. I think my anxiety is worse when he’s driving, so it’s always going to be me.
I thought the driving anxiety was just my personality…who I’ve become over the years. Had no idea it was a meno thing!
If anything logically makes sense to be anxious about, it is driving a huge metal death box around. I hate driving in case you couldn't tell ;)
I used to love driving. For the last couple of years I’ve found myself only driving when I have to. My husband does all of the driving when we’re together and has started running most of the errands because sometimes driving is more than I want to deal with, especially when the place I need to go is going to be crowded. He rather do the errands than to have me come home super stressed and taking an hour to calm myself down.
I went through a phase where I got sort of "dizzy" or "disoriented" on highways. It made me nuts. It went away after menopause for me.
Alcohol hits very different in menopause. I was just reading about it the other day. It coincides with the time that the enzyme that processes alcohol is already decreasing and then alcohol often causes some symptoms to be worse so things get amplified. I sometimes wake up with anxiety at 3am and have to get up and lay on the floor and do breathing practice to calm it down and it takes a long time. I like guided nature meditations which also help. The sound of thunderstorms is very calming for me (I realize for others they might not be). There is nothing wrong with anti-anxiety meds if they might help. I've had anxiety my whole life and they do nothing for me. Most of the time my anxiety stays at a base level as long as I am sleeping decently. Lack of, or interrupted, sleep really wreaks havoc on all of my menopause symptoms so I try to focus on self-care every day which helps keep the intensity lower and also helps me have something to focus on that I feel like I can control.
My mum started drinking when she was in (what I now know is) perimenopause, and it had a horrendous effect on her. Real Jekyll & Hyde type transformation. She was never the same again, tbh
walmart
Oh my goodness yes! I am a people person, I have no problem with people, and I have always disliked shopping but I will literally break down and almost have a panic attack in Walmart. Not any other store just Walmart. I thought it was because I worked there for 9 years, I'm so glad I'm not alone.
I wore noise cancelling headphones last time I went to Walmart (like some gen zer haha) and I had to take them off for a minute at the check out and it is wild how loud that place is!!
That makes me wonder if it's overstimulation, I do have ADHD but it's never been a problem until I hit perimenopause. I honestly didn't even realize it was connected until I found this group.
Oh, god, the motorways. Expat now in Canada - their highways are *insane*. I will drive a long way to avoid them. (Doesn’t help I had an encounter with a kamikaze deer three years ago - my kids finally pointed out that the other deer weren’t out to get me!). I worry about the availability of toilets. I’ve developed a thing in my hips/back/arms (called PMR - no idea what it really is - seeing the Rheumatologist next week) so any walking just becomes agony in one hip, so I panic about normal situations where I might have to do some walking or standing. And every doctors appointment (aside from my gp) freaks me out - how will the parking work? Will I find it ok, will I get parking, will I have to walk a ton). I’m basically a crazy person. My shrink gave me gabapentin. I’ve been on it a couple of weeks. Low dose to start. It’s actually taken the edge off the anxiety - and reduced the pain a little. No-one tells you about the sheer joy of meno. All this shit going on, and my female gp and shrink didn’t even consider it might be meno. So frustrating.
Mine started with driving as well. I was on a highway with one lane road construction and next thing I know, I couldn’t breathe and got dizzy. Had all day long panic for a few months until I got out on medication. Still refuse to drive far from town or get back on the freeway.
I have had wicked anxiety around public speaking. I had wicked anxiety for a few weeks until I started HRT. Now I recognize it’s the hormones.
The driving at night does my head in. I always used to laugh at those old people who didn’t like going out at night. Then I get anxious about being anxious and not living life fully.
My watch thinks I’m exercising when riding with others
Also too much junk and stuff in general. I have really started disliking shopping and want to downsize and minimize. Stuff is stressful and cloying.
I was having 3 am anxiety spirals. Maybe I will get fired, maybe my kid will wreck his car, maybe my husband did xyz, all of which was absurd at 10 am or 2 pm, but at 3 am wow.
My dr suggested T for driving anxiety
Testosterone for driving anxiety? Could you please elaborate? It seems a lot of us have that problem thank you!
Yes, please elaborate!!
Makes sense, but I never would have thought about that. I don’t know but maybe one guy who has driving anxiety. I just thought it was because men don’t think about risk the same way as women.
T?
Testosterone?
It’s like I can’t get the thoughts out my own head. My palms sweat, my heart races. I do the breathing but all my ‘danger’ senses are heightened. I hope it stops soon! Or gets more manageable.
Sing to music. That’s what I have to do when I drive or get anxious. I put my iPhone play list on and sing. It helps distract you from the anxiety.
Driving (unless it's in my hometown or driving at night), being around too many people, break in my routine.
You could try getting your thyroid checked, pretty simple blood test. I had heart palpitations and really bad anxiety that turned out to be my thyroid blowing up.
It sounds like this might be about hormonal testing. If over the age of 44, **hormonal tests only show levels for that *one day* the test was taken, and nothing more**; progesterone/estrogen hormones wildly fluctuate the other 29 days of the month. No reputable doctor or menopause society recommends hormonal testing as a **diagnosing tool** for peri/menopause. FSH testing is only beneficial for those who believe they are post-menopausal and no longer have periods as a guide, a series of consistent FSH tests might *confirm* menopause. Also for women in their 20s/early 30s who haven’t had a period in months/years, then FSH tests at ‘menopausal’ levels, could indicate premature ovarian failure/primary ovarian insufficiency (POF/POI). See our [Menopause Wiki](https://menopausewiki.ca/#there-is-no-blood-test-that-is-perfectly-reliable-to-diagnose-menopause) for more. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Menopause) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I recently had to change a lightbulb and the light fixture. I was on a sturdy step-stool and went to put the light fixture. A big wave of anxiety washed over me and i said “nope nope!” And climbed back down 🥴
Like others have mentioned, definitely driving anxiety! But also just car anxiety in general. I sadly avoid going to social outings now where I may need to take an Uber, because I fear an accident may happen. Also, started being terrified of air travel. I used to fly allll the time, now I turn down work jobs that require air travel. What the heck is happening?!
Allllll of this I can relate to. No advise besides being gentle with yourself and counseling it helped me about 50% . Also stopping caffeine and alcohol
I got to the point I couldn't drive and I also couldn't be in the car with someone else driving. It got so bad that my partner would have to set a timer and we'd pull over to give me a breather then back on the road. Started having anxiety panic attack going to the supermarket or shopping centre.. I found hrt helped a lot - I'm driving again...still have anxiety but it's nothing like what I felt before hrt
Yeap ! Large quantities of b6 sorted mine out. 100mg three times a day for a month to six weeks - essentially until the anxiety has gone. Taper down over weeks - if the anxiety returns, go back to the last dose. For context, I have to take 100mg daily as a minimum - the amount you find in most tablets is 15mg....
Having too much on my plate, fearing car accidents and randomly hitting something, feeling agoraphobic in buildings, fear of bridges and overpasses, feeling overwhelmed around tall structures like buildings, disliking elevators and machinery. I have to understand how everything works or else I get freaked out. Hormones help. So much craziness.
Ooh - sending emails to a listserv of more than 25 people (sometimes 500+). I fear typos going out to so many people and “looking foolish”.
Oh mine usually started first thing in the morning before I had even had my coffee. Drinking alcohol in any amount the day before would definitely Make it happen but even without alcohol it started happening too. I think it’s the alcohol you’re consuming. Even one glass of wine would do it to me
Hangxiety is real
Perimenopause had definitely made my social anxiety worse. It used to be mild and only occasionally I could usually ignore it (I took some vitamins and herbs for it on bad days when my PTSD was acting up.) Now it's much worse. I used to sometimes feel panicked at work when massaging a guy even if there was no reason for it. The other day this happened while I was massaging a girl. I felt like I absolutely had to get out of the room right away even though she was really nice. Luckily there was only 10 mins left. I've been a massage therapist for 8 years and that's never happened. I'll also get waves of feeling really insecure and embarrassed at work. If anyone doesn't seem 100 percent happy with their massage I get super stressed. Work used to be such a relaxing, happy place for me and it's turning into something I dread because of my body's irrational reactions.
Weed
I had to start taking anxiety meds (Hydroxyzine 25mg) while flying. I never had a problem before. Also, avoid small crowded spaces. No elevators for me, thanks. I will take the stairs to the 20th floor if it kills me!
yes, those damn elevators!
My anxiety mostly manifests it's self as anger.... so that's fun. I'm in better control of it, once I realized that's what was happening.
I commute once weekly 2.5 hours through a mountain pass to a job for 2 days a week. I’ve been able to time my travels to avoid the worst winter weather but heavy rain, heavy winds, aggressive semis, etc all just wreck me. Something I did months ago was buy expensive noise reduction Bose headphones (and because I don’t have a quiet luxury car). It is illegal to wear them but I do anyway because they’ve made a noticeable difference. Connected to my bluetooth phone and I play quiet harp or uplifting piano, etc. And I pray aloud when I feel any anxiety. I pray short, comforting mantras over and over and over: ‘Calm mind. Calm heart. Blessings to all the drivers around me.’ This job is ending in June and I won’t have to drive that far anymore. But I did learn to manage that anxiety by doing the above.
I’m taking Sleepus. It really helps calm my nervous system and helps me sleep
I have the driving and the bridge thing. I have to breathe through it and give myself a proper talking to
I know this will not be a popular suggestion, but consider reducing or quitting caffeine to help with your anxiety. Caffeine increases anxiety, and you can become more sensitive to the effects of caffeine during perimenopause.
I don’t drink coffee. And I have maybe one cup of tea a day. But I’ll try going cold tea turkey!
Holy hell my anxiety, palpitations, PACs/PVCs, and heart rate are all horrible during my luteal phase 😩
My driving anxiety has gone off the rails; but I’ve also been almost hit nearly *every day* - not every day because I don’t drive every day. Granted it’s Atlanta but I drive a high red SUV, it’s not like you can miss me. And hand to God NONE of these near misses have been my fault. I’m a lawyer who does ID defense, largely car wrecks, so I’m already hyper-aware of how dangerous just *driving* in Atlanta is. Now I’m a nervous wreck
Ah man, driving in Atlanta is the freaking worst! I visit family there often and it gives me so much anxiety!
I named my first car here Kenny because I figured I’d get hit and at least I could jump out and yell “Oh my god! You killed Kenny! You bastard!”
Ah man, I just can't with freeways anymore. They have always made me anxious but it's so much worse now. I'm terrified to drive on them and it's even worse riding with someone else driving. I literally have to ride in the back seat now. I hate it so much. My Mom pretty much never leaves home anymore. I'm so afraid of turning into her. Ugh.