Body shaking/trembling after driving. Suggestions?

Let me first start off by saying that I am a very good driver. It's the other few thousand people I meet on the road each day who give me anxiety. Out of these, about 100 or so are terrible drivers. Whenever someone cuts me off, nearly side swipes me, or even sit at a green light, my body starts to shake from the anxiety. What can I do to help this? Should I see my doctor? I really don't want to be put back on prescriptions as I was already for depression a few years ago. I got off those in November of 2014 and have been feeling great up until now.

Does anyone have tips about how to keep myself calm? I thought having music play in the car, but the only stuff I listen to are groups like Two Steps from Hell. Not the best kind of music when you're already stressed.

Didn't know where else to post this. Figured the anxiety would at least fit under health.

I suggest first stopping the car in a safe place. It's hard to drive safely while so anxious. Do you feel tingling in your hands? If so, you are probably hyperventilating, which means your breathing unexpectedly quickens so much that you over oxygenate yourself. If that happens, you can try pursed lip breathing, breathing through only one or both nostrils, or taking slow deep breaths into your stomach. If you start noticing tunnel vision or feel otherwise uncomfortable to drive, don't be afraid to call someone for help.
There are a lot of ways to reduce anxiety and you have to find what works for you: distract yourself with calming music (buy music specifically for these occasions), visualizations being somewhere relaxing or experiencing a positive outcome to the stressful situation, calling a supportive friend, etc. Since this is a recurring problem, I would definitely suggest meeting with a therapist or psychologist. They may suggest prescriptions (which you don't have to agree to), but they can also help give you coping strategies and insight into your anxiety. I know from experience how scary and overwhelming it is to panic and it's normal to have it re-triggered sometimes. There's probably something that happened in your life that triggered it or you may be over stressed generally. You can try to reduce overall daily stress by exercising, getting enough sleep, meditating, etc. Good luck!

I currently go to a boxing gym and on sparring day I get really shaky after a fight even if I didn't get hit.
It's pretty natural for me and when it happens it doesn't hinder anything, but it does get annoying.
I don't know if It's a natural defense mechanism but when I get it does improve my reaction speed and my timing.
It seems the more I practice meditation with deep breathing the less I get this.
I think its ok as long as you don't freak out about your freaking out, know what I mean?

Hey DragonSword,
I would recommend looking into Mindfulness.
I have had terrible anxiety for about 1-1.5 years following fainting episodes which occurred over a period of time due to my low blood pressure.
I can relate to what you said in your post as I have suffered some panic attacks while driving (I am also a very good drive and I have always enjoyed driving). In my case, the panic attacks were due to rising general anxiety, and not so much on the act of driving itself.

I have found mindfulness to be very useful in helping shift my attention while I am feeling in distress. I would recommend you look into that.
Also, I found that researching and learning more about my issues gave me the confidence to tackle these issues. By knowing that other people out there have the same problem and that there is treatment, there is a way forward and that you too can get there, can be immensely beneficial.

I also spoke with a herbalist and was given some natural remedies. Chamomile tea, lemon balm, some vitamins, and dietary advice for help with anxiety. Those helped a lot, too.

But that being said, I also say a psychotherapist for a while because I recognized that I needed help to get past my anxiety. I was never prescribed any pills, but CBT and speaking to someone who helped me realize what was happening to me was natural and only temporary, really helped.

Wish you all the best in your recovery.

Remember, very few ailments in life (including those of the mind) cannot be cured, and I think what is happening to you is very common and you too will be able to overcome it.

It may be some natural stress being relieved by your body. Dr. David Berceli, PhD, found a method to manually activate natural reflex mechanism of shaking or vibrating that releases muscular tension. You can google trumaprevention dot com, and see David bercelli's videos in you tube.
Hope this helps.

I think you should try driving a car in a dream while lucid. Research has shown that facing fears or anxieties in dreams can be very helpful :).

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Originally Posted by Forg

I think you should try driving a car in a dream while lucid. Research has shown that facing fears or anxieties in dreams can be very helpful :).

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Interesting, I will try this as I have a different problem than the OP but could benefit from this.