Fear, Anxiety, and Panic: Unpacking the Emotions of Driving with guest Karla McLaren

In this episode, Kev and Tracey talk to guest Karla McLaren about the importance of identifying and understanding one's emotions and how this can improve driving skills.We chat about:How having a larger emotional vocabulary can help regulate emotions while drivingThe differences between fear, anxiety, and panic while driving Emotions can come in pairs, threes, or groups and it's important to listen to what they're trying to tell youArticulating your emotions helps your whole body understand that it's just an emotion and not a physical emergencyWhile listening to this episode, ask yourself:How do you feel about the idea that emotions have a role?What emotional vocabulary do you use when navigating difficult driving situations? Are they weasel words?What are some common emotions experienced while driving? How can we learn to recognize them and regulate them effectively?Karla McLaren Karla McLaren, M.Ed. is an award-winning author, social science researcher, and empathy expert. Her work focuses on her grand unified theory of emotions, which revalues even the most “negative” emotions and opens startling new pathways into self-awareness, effective communication, and healthy empathy. She is the founder and CEO of Emotion Dynamics Inc., and the creator of the Empathy Academy online learning site. Karla is the author of many books, including The Language of Emotions: What Your Feelings are Trying to Tell You (2023), Embracing Anxiety: How to Access the Genius of this Vital Emotion (2020), and The Art of Empathy: A Complete Guide to Life’s Most Essential Skill (2013), along with many audio learning programs. She is online at KarlaMcLaren.com and EmpathyAcademy.org. Karla's Facebook page Karla's Facebook group @karlamclaren.m.ed on Instagram @KarlaMcLaren on X Karla on YouTube Karla's Website Mentioned in this episode:Find our Drive Calm Journal on Amazon* Do you avoid driving whenever possible? * Do you feel like the only person who is anxious about driving? * Would you like to drive wherever you want, whenever you want? * Are you ready to take action to improve your driving confidence? Follow the prompts, questions, exercises and reflections each week to create your own goal based action plan to work on your driving mindset. Created by Kev & Tracey Field to help anxious drivers take action and track their progress over twelve weeks based on our unique Drive Calm® System, you set your own goals so you can work at your own pace. Drive Calm Journal on Amazon