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01/15/2018
Dr. Laura:
About ten years ago, when I was 52, I developed a fear of driving on highways. As quickly as it started, it would stop. Eventually, it got worse, and last year I started avoiding highways completely. That's when I heard you one day talk about getting out of your car and doing push-ups and getting back in and doing this again until the anxiety stopped.
The first time I tried this, I was too embarrassed to get out of the car, but all the time I spent thinking about it helped me a little, but I still got off at the next exit. The next time my heart started racing, there wasn't an exit for seven miles, so I pulled over on the side of the highway and started "trying" to do a push-up. I fell down on one side but then tried a modified push up on my knees. People started honking their horns and either laughing or looking strangely at me. I got back in my car, smiling, and the next thing I realized, the exit was only two miles away - I had driven five miles without anxiety. I've done this again and again and now other drivers shout encouragement at me (but some still give me strange looks). When one yelled out the window "You go, girl," I gave a thumbs up and said "Dr. Laura - the cure for anxiety!" Now, I just think about that and smile as I drive on to the highway. Thanks, Dr. Laura!
Mary
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