Flashing Lights and Anxiety

[MShemel]

I have a family history of anxiety problems. A few years ago, when I was 24, I experienced my first onset of anxiety, with palpitations, numbness, and dizziness occuring all day long. After all other medical disorders were ruled out, I eventually accepted it and got over it. I have been unbothered by it for three years. Last month my girlfriend broke up with me and it started again. It was a bit different this time. I am a great driver, but when I was driving through the tunnel in to go from Manhattan to Long Island, the flashing lights for some reason made my body heat up and I felt all those anxiety symptoms. Now, whenever I drive at night, I can't help but notice them anywhere where there is continuous flashing of lights, highways, tunnels, bridges, etc. So I worry. I'm not sure if its epilepsy, because I can get the symptoms just knowing I am going to a tunnel, ten minutes before I get there. I have been able to somewhat avoid symptoms by reading license plates and other signs on the road just to get my mind off of it. I need to know what to do. Driving is an integral part of my life and work. Do you think this will go away as it has in the past?

[Foxfire]

I too had the driving thing while going over a bridge. The first couple of times it happened I didn't know what was going on, then it got the stage when I hit the highway BEFORE the bridge I would get the rushes and the dizzies. I think knowing there was nowhere to pull over made it even worse so I just had to keep driving.. Yuk.. At any rate, it all disappeared when i got a handle on things. You know that it's anxiety that's causing it so that gives you a HUGE headstart. All you have to do is not fight it when it happens. You know that you can keep driving through it, when you start feeling nervous just tell yourself that you've had it before and everything has been fine and that it will pass. Try and MAKE it happen if you can (because if you try and make it happen you're saying that you're not scared of it and your body will respond by reducing the amount of adrenalin it's producing). Good luck!

[dorigen]

Yes, you will get over it again. Sounds exactly like anxiety.. You probably just happened to get an anxiety attack in that tunnel after breaking up with your girlfriend by chance, and now it seems as though the memory or thought of a tunnel or flashing lights brings the anxiety back up. This is pretty classic. Kind of like someone has an attack in the mall, fears going to the mall, becomes agoraphobic, etc. Anyways, use the same methods you used to get over your anxiety initally, they will work again in this situation.