27, 3 kids, and terrified to drive!!!!?

Question:

Im 27, I have 3 kids,10,4,and 6 months and I am terrified to drive! Before the baby I did not mind bussing it everywhere but now I have to take a car seat and a stroller. The 2 older ones are in different schools and they both play sports. Im tired of being on the bus more than we are at home. I try to take the kids out as much as I can and they love the bus but Im really tired of it. Any tips on how to get over this fear???? ( I have had my permit at least 5 times but never go through with the drivers test. )

Answers:
It sounds to me like you have severe anxiety. I have it too. Mine began to manifest with a fear of bugs that sting. It got to the point where I actually wanted to stop going outside in the summer b/c I was afraid I'd get stung. I wondered what would happen if I got stung (I had never been stung before) and if I had an allergic reaction, what would happen to my baby (5 months old at the time). Then I started getting up every morning and doing a walk through of the house to make sure there weren't any wasps or bees inside. It was at that point that I started to realize this anxiety was interfering with my daily life and it had to stop. I went to the doctor and explained what was going on. He put me on Celexa, which is for anxiety and depression. Within 2 weeks I started to feel completely normal. I was on it for a year, then had to stop taking it b/c my husband was laid off. I remained off of it for 16 months, but suddenly started having major anxiety about driving. First, I was just afraid to drive on the highway. Then it progressed to driving on busy main roads. Suddenly, I found myself DREADING driving to the point that I wanted to cancel appointments. I returned to the doctor who put me back on Celexa. He said that I'm very lucky to have an "outward sign" that tells me something is wrong. He said that many people suffer from anxiety and depression yet have nothing but "a feeling" to pinpoint it, and those people usually don't head to the doctor. I think you could be experiencing the same thing and it wouldn't hurt to talk to your doctor about it.

I must applaud you though, for it seems you've never allowed your anxiety to interfere with your children's lives/schedules! But you won't have to rely on the bus and waste all that time much longer if you end up getting some anti-anxiety meds. GOOD LUCK! And I hope you ace your driving test!

how about car pool?

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27, 3 kids, and terrified to drive!!!!?

Pregnancy & Parenting