Driving anxiety can take you by complete surprise and be a challenging experience for so many. It can affect you at any age but especially seems to affect women during menopause. But why does it happen?

The menopause phenomenon is influenced by a combination of physical and emotional factors associated with this life stage. For other drivers it might be related to a driving accident or incident that’s left you shaken or even injured. Sometimes just hearing about someone’s negative experience with driving can bring on your own driving anxiety. In addition, physical and mental health issues can trigger the onset of driving anxiety. 

Let’s delve further into why driving anxiety occurs during menopause, and what you can do to manage it. The good news is that hypnosis will help you deal with driving anxiety whether you’re menopausal or not!

In menopause there are several reasons for this phenomenon.

1. Hormonal Changes: Menopause brings significant hormonal fluctuations, particularly a decrease in oestrogen. This hormonal shift can affect mood and increase feelings of anxiety, making everyday activities like driving more stressful. 
2. Hot Flashes and Discomfort: Menopausal symptoms like hot flashes can lead to discomfort while driving. These sudden heat sensations can be distracting and make women anxious about their ability to focus on the road. 
3. Cognitive Changes: Some women may experience cognitive changes during menopause, commonly known as “brain fog”, including memory lapses and difficulty concentrating. These issues can add to the anxiety of driving, as women worry about their ability to react quickly to changing traffic conditions. 
4. Emotional Impact: Menopause often comes with emotional changes, including mood swings and irritability. These emotions can surface while driving, making it more challenging to stay calm and composed behind the wheel. 
5. Fear of Health Issues: Menopausal women may worry about health concerns such as heart palpitations or dizziness while driving. These fears can contribute to driving anxiety.

So how can hypnosis help alleviate the symptoms?

Hypnosis works by guiding you into a relaxed and focused state of mind, where you become more receptive to positive suggestions and imagery. Hypnotherapy can address the underlying causes of anxiety, such as hormonal changes, fear triggers, and negative thought patterns. 

During hypnotherapy sessions, a hypnotherapist will help you reframe your perception of driving, reduce anxiety-related symptoms like hot flashes or racing thoughts, and build confidence in your driving abilities. 

By changing your thought patterns, and replacing them with thoughts of being calm and in control, hypnosis can empower you to manage your anxiety, stay calm behind the wheel, and regain a sense of control during this life transition.

The more you practise these techniques using self-hypnosis the more in control you will feel . When you keep feeding your brain new positive information your brain will produce a new improved response! 

Hypnosis can be an effective approach for managing driving anxiety by addressing the underlying thoughts, emotions, and behaviours associated with this fear. 

Want to know more about how hypnosis can help? Read on ….

Relaxation and Calming: Hypnosis induces a deeply relaxed state, which can help reduce the physiological responses associated with anxiety, such as rapid heartbeat and shallow breathing. This relaxation can create a sense of calmness, making it easier to manage anxiety triggers while driving.

Identification of Triggers: Through hypnosis, individuals can explore the specific triggers that cause their driving anxiety. This might include examining past experiences, fears, or thoughts that contribute to anxiety. Identifying these triggers is the first step in addressing and overcoming them.

Reframing Negative Thoughts: Hypnotherapy allows individuals to reframe negative thought patterns and beliefs about driving. Hypnotic suggestions can replace anxious thoughts with more positive and empowering ones, helping individuals feel more confident and in control while behind the wheel.

Visualisation and Desensitization: Hypnosis can help individuals visualise themselves driving confidently and calmly. This technique allows the subconscious mind to become familiar with the desired behaviour, making it easier to replicate in real-life situations. Gradual exposure to the driving experience during hypnosis can desensitise the fear response over time.

Building Self-Efficacy: Hypnosis can enhance feelings of self-efficacy, which is the belief in one’s ability to handle challenging situations. By fostering a sense of competence and control, individuals can approach driving with a more positive mindset and reduced anxiety.

Anchoring Positive Emotions: Hypnotherapy can anchor positive emotions to driving-related situations. This involves associating feelings of relaxation and calmness with the act of driving through hypnosis. As a result, these positive emotions become linked to the driving experience, counteracting anxiety.

Coping Strategies: Hypnosis can equip individuals with effective coping strategies for managing anxiety while driving. These strategies might include deep breathing exercises, mindfulness techniques, and mental imagery to stay focused and centred on the road.

Here’s some other tips to ease driving anxiety:

If you have air-conditioning then try turning it up to instantly help you re-center, the cold air will distract your mind. 

Anxiety can make you sweat so the cold air will help with this. Try winding down the window if you haven’t got AC. 

If you have a hot flash during menopause that’s particularly troublesome then pull over and turn up the AC or get out the car to cool down, maybe have a portable fan on board if there’s no AC, and make sure you have water to hand.  

Focus on something else, listen to your favourite podcast or music. 

Try some simple breathing exercises, that you feel won’t distract you from the road. 

Here’s one to try:

Breathe in at a pace that’s comfortable for you, as you breathe out imagine a stream of bubbles floating away from you. (This is useful in stationary traffic).

Don’t let driving anxiety limit your freedom – take the wheel with both hands, book a call with me and start your journey to anxiety-free driving.