Dealing with Driving Anxiety in Denver

How to: Stop the Crying and Driving

Do you ever feel anxious when driving? Why? Is it the traffic? Are you worried about parking? Do you feel unsafe? Don’t worry. You’re not the only one. Nearly 66% of Americans experience some form of anxiety behind the wheel.

WHAT is it?

If you are anything like us… you use navigation apps (quite religiously). I mean why wouldn’t you, they are great… right? You see, the problem with navigation apps is they are each missing a couple of features. How many times have you been rerouted due to traffic and you now find yourself in an unsafe part of town, or are suddenly going through really challenging intersections? Maybe your navigation app takes you to an area that has challenging parking or maybe there isn’t any available parking nearby. You see while navigation apps may be flawed, we still use them. The flaws themselves might be overlooked by some; however, all these apps manage to do is contribute to driving anxiety, a common affliction many (quietly) struggle with. Driving anxiety is the main problem here. The apps only contribute to this and only add fuel to the fire. There aren’t many resources available for drivers to access while on the road. Not only that, there is no community-based symposium for people to share the issues they face day-to-day. There is a lack of participatory culture in this realm, everyone silently struggles. There aren’t many forums or places where people can contribute and foster collective intelligence. The affinity group is there, it just needs to have a home. If there is nowhere to engage, there is nowhere to learn; thus, nowhere to find support and help among peers.

Many use navigation apps as a way to mitigate driving anxiety, the problem is they only make things worse. So what? Well, I’m sure most have experienced this, when you start having an anxiety attack there is not that much you can do to calm down, whether it is you having the attack or the person next to you. What makes it worse is when you are following your navigation system in an unfamiliar area with challenging intersections and poor parking instruction. All of a sudden, you can go from a little uncomfortable to incredibly anxious. So what can we do to help those with driving anxiety?

HOW did we solved it?

We created a platform that allowed community members to participate, through the use of an open-source Spotify playlist. This playlist acted as a fundamental variable in allowing members to participate and feel rewarded at the same time by contributing to it and knowing other members were being helped because of this. Not only that, but being able to also this present this remedy to a more far-reaching audience and expand awareness surrounding this topic in general to aid in the open participation. Openly networked digital tools and platforms such as Instagram and Twitter were used extensively to try to broaden the audience this information could influence in this instance of digital media and learning. Allowing anyone with a digital source to access the information aided significantly in the process of peer support and peer-review. The fundamental idea of our project is significantly interest-powered due to community members sharing a common interest in bettering their driving anxiety strategies.

There is a constant change in the environment surrounding driving in general, whether it be changes in traffic or driving in a new place. These changes can be challenging for individuals as they often place new, unknown stressors on someone operating a vehicle regarding the anxieties they deal with. The real challenge stems from the process by which community members deal with anxiety. Bettering one’s own individual coping mechanisms is always a challenge.

The social media-based platforms that this affinity space is built upon acts as a medium for self-expression and engagement by allowing those within the space to interact through commenting and sharing ideas of their own. These shared ideas act as a feedback loop for iterations of the DML instance. Allowing members to share their thoughts and ideas through comments or email replies on what would better improve the circumstance as a whole allows for iteration and improvement in all areas relating to the driving anxiety solution. For example, one common theme was using breathing techniques to deal with some of the harsher side effects of these anxious feelings. This idea came through the basis of reaching out to fellow stakeholders for what personally helped them manage perturbation.

How is this DML?

An example Instagram post from the affinity space

By presenting the information gained through feedback and iteration, in CARP-based mediums such as Instagram, we allow for individuals to easily access the helpful information and knowledge about dealing with these struggles, while also presenting the information in an easy-to-access manner. Targeting the root of the problems and asking members to participate by sharing their thoughts and ideas was a key portion of our digital media and learning project.

WHO does this affect?

In America, around 12.5% of Americans will suffer from a specific phobia. People fear many things that can cause a phobia for driving. Methods for dealing with the phobias include deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, mindfulness meditation, autogenic training, and identifying triggers.

For some people, driving-related anxiety is a condition they can resolve on their own. However, others will need the guidance and knowledge of mental health professionals. Therapists can fully assess your symptoms and prescribe a course of treatment specifically tailored to your needs.

• Note to self: when driving with high anxiety, you should try to encourage yourself and attempt to relieve some stress by saying affirmations like “You can do it!” and “It’s gonna be a good drive!”. This boosts your confidence.

We started and continue to manage a Spotify playlist for people who are not sure what music can be soothing when experiencing unease.

Communication is key for anxiety. Community is also good for people struggling with driving anxiety. So on top of the Spotify playlist, we created an Instagram to provide that community.

One major component of driving-related anxiety is the stress of finding parking in densely populated areas like the Denver Metro area. Whether it’s finding a good spot to leave your car or worrying about your safety traveling to and from your vehicle, many people who don’t normally experience anxiety find themselves worked up over performing these tasks.

To combat this, we compiled a map that outlines all the areas reported to have high levels of crime (which is pretty much everywhere in Denver). Additionally, we marked several locations where someone can park and not have to worry about their car, or the dangers of getting into your car alone at night. These locations are either monitored by security 24/7 or are closed off parking garages that provide some peace of mind.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1YzRmiU55vZXw-Dfmgo5A9KN_NSkB4kbi&usp=sharing

In tandem with the meditations, this information can alleviate some of the mental pressure.

• Our group created this Instagram to share experiences between the people we interviewed by making posts related to their feedback. We posted song recommendations, driving meditations, and advice written in medical articles, connecting every aspect of helping one another in a collaborative way. Additionally, we included our email for more specific support.

Some of the useful sites that provided the information.

• Drivingfearhelp.com
• Calmnessmind.com
• https://www.rtor.org/2019/01/22/top-10-things-about-freeway-phobia/

When thinking how to go about a DML on driving anxiety, we thought of a virtual AAA meeting where a bunch of people with the same problems, but create a united space through social media in a positive and friendly way to encourage more people to take control of their fears.

A great method to help combat anxiety you may experience while driving is meditation. The earliest records of the use of meditation can be dated back to 1500 BC. Something that has been around this long has to be helpful right? While researching specifically how meditation can help combat anxiety while driving, I found a treasure trove of information. Did you know only 10 minutes of meditation a day can be extremely beneficial for your mental health? Practicing meditation has been proven to shorten visual reaction times as well as train the mind to focus on one task for longer periods of time. Both of those beneficial aspects of meditation clearly have favorable effects on everyone’s driving.

In a study I conducted with 5 different people who reported having some form of driving anxiety, I sent them the following driving meditation videos and had them listen to them on drives over the course of the week.

https://www.instagram.com/stopdrivingandcry/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjnpRuQGDAI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5YQ_x6s7Og&feature=emb_logo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd20cAQKYnE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5B4WVcB-N0

At the end of the week, they sent me a text with their reactions and opinions on the benefits of the meditation videos. Here are the responses.

As we can see, the meditation videos had effects ranging from less aggressive driving and slower speeds to helping drastically reduce the amount of anxiety the drivers faced. Every single driver reported at least a small amount of reduced anxiety and all 5 of them would recommend these videos to a friend who might need them.

Driving anxiety is something that a lot of people have to face everyday on their own. But they don’t have to. Just like any problem, it is better to confront issues as a community. Check out our resources available if you or someone you know is dealing with driving anxiety.

You are not alone. We are here to help you.