Those with driving fear or driving anxiety already know being in a car, or even the thought of being in a car, may have the power to bring on a panic attack. But vehicle-related scenarios or thoughts aren’t the only anxiety triggers that could be contributing to your unease. While everyone is different and may have his or her own unique anxiety triggers, there are a number of common triggers that affect many people across the board.
Anxiety Cause vs. Anxiety Triggers
Before we take a look at anxiety triggers, it’s important to understand the difference between a cause of anxiety and a trigger of anxiety.
- Anxiety cause: The reason you have anxiety issues
- Anxiety trigger: Issues that heighten your anxiety or make it worse
Even if you’ve been affected by anxiety all your life, there may be times where it becomes less prominent. Certain triggers may have to power to bring it right back up again, as if it had never subsided in the first place. Triggers can also heighten any existing driving fear or driving anxiety that is already in play at any given moment, instantly making them worse.
Common Anxiety Triggers
Negative Thinking: While changing the way we think can be tough, trying to interrupt or eliminate negative thinking can go a long way toward reducing anxiety. When you catch yourself thinking negatively about a specific person, place or thing, turn the tables and try to think of at last one positive aspect of that person, place or thing.
Excessive Excitement or Emotion: When something terrific happens, particularly if it’s something toward which you’ve been striving, an overflow of excitement or emotions can sometimes trigger anxiety.
Low Motivation: The feeling of having no goal or purpose can lead to a negative attitude. And as you’ve already learned, negativity can trigger anxiety. Trying combating a lack of motivation with exercise. Exercise gets your body moving and your feel-good chemicals flowing, both of which can help you break out of a negative state.
Isolation: It makes sense that many people don’t feel like socializing if they’re not feeling all that positive or great. But being alone with your thoughts, worries and emotions can quickly make them worse. Getting out of the house to socialize on a regular basis can help immensely.
Ineffective handling of stress: Stress is part of life. We don’t have the power to eliminate it entirely, but we do have the power to handle it effectively. Ineffective handling of stress often involves trying to push it away or pretend it doesn’t exist. Effective handling of stress is to instead accept it, and then engage in behaviors that can lessen it. Exercise, talking with a friend or journaling about it can help.
Paying attention to anxiety triggers can help you take action to avoid them moving forward. And keeping your overall anxiety in check can help keep your driving fears and driving anxiety in check, as well.
SOURCES:
Photo Credit: Diana Wylde Flickr via Compfight cc
