Control Your Anxiety While Driving with Combat Breathing

When in high-pursuit of a dangerous criminal that may be armed and willing to do virtually anything to escape, police and specialized tactical teams cannot afford to let their bodies stress response overtake their senses and reasoning. The tunnel vision, trembling loss of motor skills, and ability think clearly and quickly aren't only critical to their own safety, but the safety of others on the road, and even the suspect being pursued. In order to dramatically reduce their bodies stress levels and maintain control even in the most grueling and anxiety provoking of circumstances, law enforcement and military training includes what is called "combat breathing", an effective breathing technique for the reduction of the physical and mental effects of anxiety that can be used with surprising effectiveness by anyone experiencing anxiety, stress, or fear while driving.

As anyone who struggles with anxiety or a fear of driving knows, the surge of adrenaline and cortisol into the body during high levels of stress can dramatically effect proper functioning and be extraordinarily frightening, the response itself often being mistaken as a sign that the individual is about to lose control. Once the reaction that unleashes the stress chemicals into the body has begun, it is terribly difficult to abort, although there are advanced techniques and skills that can be learned to both prevent and end anxiety while driving such as those discussed in the Driving Fear Program, the leading program for driving anxiety treatment. Combat breathing was developed to assist officers and military personnel in rapidly gaining control over their stress reactions during extreme driving and pursuit situations and is considered a crucial aspect of successful training.

Alexis Artwohl, PhD., one of America's most respected police psychologists, considers it such techniques so imperative to officer training, he was quoted as saying, "Police officers should be taught controlled breathing from DAY ONE in training to the point where it becomes so automatic they do it without thinking." Additionally, Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman, a former special forces soldier who taught psychology at West Point who developed the widely used and praised training resource "The Bullet-Proof Mind." has taught the breathing exercise and its positive impact on performance during high-speed pursuits for years.

Sergeant Charles Humes explained the basics of combat breathing as follows, "The breathing is done in cycles. Breathe in through your nose for a count of four; hold your breath for a count of four; exhale through your mouth for a count of four; hold your breath for a count of four, and then restart the cycle. Breath deeply and methodically - completely filling and emptying your lungs during each cycle. This simple technique will lower your blood pressure and arousal/stress level, and minimize the overwhelming side effects of an adrenaline dump."

When you're feeling anxiety, fear, or a panic attack while driving to the grocery store, a relatives house, or while driving on the highway or interstate, take a tip from police and military personnel whose lives hang in the balance of their ability to control their stress response and practice combat breathing or enlist other advanced strategies discussed at http://www.DrivingFear.com. You don't have to live with your fear of driving!