Ever circled the block, heart racing, searching for that elusive parking spot? You’re not alone. For many people, parking anxiety is a real struggle.
Everyone feels worried from time to time. It can be due to work, school, personal or family matters.
But when the anxious feelings don’t go away and make it hard to go about your daily routine, it may be a sign that you are dealing with an anxiety condition.
Anxiety is a serious condition that makes it hard for a person to cope with daily life. In Australia alone, 3 million people are reportedly living with anxiety and 1 in 4 people will experience anxiety at some stage in their life.
Meanwhile, 4 per cent of the global population currently experience an anxiety disorder, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
In 2019, it is estimated that 301 million people in the world had an anxiety disorder, making it one the most common of all mental health conditions.
Sure, it might seem a bit much to label the anticipatory fear of finding a parking spot as ‘parking anxiety’. But here’s the kicker – it’s way more common and more serious than you’d imagine.
Almost 3 in 5 Australians experience anxiety and stress over parking in tight spaces, particularly if it means doing parallel parking or reverse parking.
Interestingly, research showed some drivers took extreme measures to dodge parking stress with different avoidance behaviors.
One in four people admitted to parking elsewhere and opting for a walk or public transport to their destination rather than to parallel park or reverse park.
Another 14 per cent went as far as avoiding certain places altogether, all just to sidestep the anxiety of finding a parking space.
In this guide, we answer your top questions about parking anxiety, how to deal with its symptoms and the ways you can prevent it from happening.
What is parking anxiety?
Parking anxiety refers to the stress, worry, or nervousness that one may experience when trying to find a parking space for their vehicle.
It’s crucial to understand that parking anxiety doesn’t necessarily imply a fear of parking or forgetting how to do it.
It can happen to anyone, and it can come on suddenly, with triggers varying from person to person.
When the body is stressed, its natural response is to shift its energy resources toward fighting off a life threat, or fleeing from an enemy. Then the brain signals the adrenal glands to release hormones called adrenalin (epinephrine) and cortisol.
These hormones trigger the fight or flight response, with adrenaline getting your muscles primed to flee or fight while cortisol gives you the burst of energy to do so.
But there’s a problem: you are trapped in the enclosed space of the car, and you’re faced with the task of finding a parking space.
This means that your body’s desire to escape or fight the stressful situation can’t be met. These extreme sensations can cause psychological distress or an anxiety attack.
This intense reaction may sound extreme to someone who has never experienced it, but a panic attack induced by parking can manifest in many forms.
While there is no widely recognised scientific definition for this panic disorder, parking anxiety is closely related to driving anxiety (also known as vehophobia or fear of driving).
What triggers parking anxiety?
Even the most experienced driver can experience feelings of anxiety when it comes to finding a parking space.
Parking anxiety triggers include, but are not limited to:
- Street parking in busy streets
- Parking in a tight spot
- Crowded public parking spaces during peak hours
- Difficulty finding a parking space for your car
- Feeling pressured by other drivers on the road
- Driving in unfamiliar areas or locations with complex parking regulations
- Anticipating no available parking spaces near your destination
- Running late for an appointment
- Feeling embarrassed or stressed when trying to perform a manoeuvre, such as parallel parking or reverse parking
- Previous negative experiences, such as accidents or receiving parking tickets
Although it’s not a fool proof method to prevent parking anxiety, there’s a major benefit from identifying possible triggers.
For example: if it’s not parking in general that causes you to have anxiety, but rather parking in a crowded street area, you can avoid parking in certain spots during peak hours.
Can you get parking anxiety in familiar surroundings or areas?
Parking anxiety is not limited to when you are venturing out in unfamiliar places. For some people, the constant fear of not finding a space for their car hits closer to home.
A survey showed one in ten people also get parking anxiety from the fear of not having an available parking space when they return to their place of residence. Others cited being “always worried” about being able to park as they get closer to home.
There are also drivers who have co-occurring phobias, which makes parking one of the most stressful activities they can do.
This includes agoraphobia (an intense fear of going outside) or claustrophobia (an intense fear of enclosed spaces), which can end up intensifying their fear of parking.
What are the symptoms of parking anxiety?
Here are some of the common parking anxiety symptoms and quick, easy tips on how to deal with them.
Disclaimer: The information provided here is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
1. Elevated heart rate
Consciously take deep breaths and release them slowly. Remember to breathe from your stomach, not your chest.
One breathing method that can help you calm your nerves is box breathing – a simple relaxation technique that aims to return breathing to its normal rhythm during or after a stressful experience.
This method involves breathing in and out and holding the breath, which can help clear the mind, relax the body, and improve focus.
How to do box breathing
Here are four easy steps on how to do box breathing, according to WEbMD:
Step 1: Breathe in, counting to four slowly. Feel the air enter your lungs.
Step 2: Hold your breath for 4 seconds. Try to avoid inhaling or exhaling for 4 seconds.
Step 3: Slowly exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds.
Step 4: Repeat steps 1 to 3 until you feel re-centered.
2. Trembling
Trembling or shaking is a common symptom of parking anxiety. This happens when the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol flood your system, causing your muscles to tense. After they are released as the stressor fades, your muscles shake or tremble.
Typically, this anxiety symptom only lasts until the stress response ends, which can be a few seconds or a few minutes.
To help deal with trembling, try alternating your fingers on each hand before settling them back on the steering wheel. Grounding techniques, such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), or mindfulness may also help to ease the shakes.
3. Moist hands
Sweating often occurs when you feel scared or stressed, and that’s why you might see more sweating when you’re anxious. Anxiety sweat is similar to regular sweat and can show up all over your body, but you’ll usually see it most on your palms and the soles of your feet.
The most practical solution is to wipe one hand at a time on your trousers or try holding the steering wheel with a relaxed grip.
4. Muscle tightness
When you think about freaking out over parking, you might imagine getting all shaky and sweaty. But for some folks, it’s more about freezing up and not knowing what to do.
If you experience muscle tightness and you’re unable to move, focus on the muscles in the back of your neck and consciously relax them. Your other muscles will tend to follow suit!
5. Feeling confined or trapped
People with existing phobias about being trapped, such as claustrophobia (fear of tight spaces) or a cleithrophobia (or the fear of being trapped) tend to feel parking anxiety as well.
To help ease this, try opening the car windows for fresh air or if possible, stepping out of your vehicle for a while.
6. Dry mouth
Dry mouth is a common symptom of anxiety. As we’ve mentioned, your body gears up for action like it’s about to face a big challenge or run away from it (fight or flight instinct) when you experience a stressful situation. To focus on that, it hits pause on digestion and making saliva.
So, if you ever feel like your mouth’s gone a bit desert-like, it’s just a side effect of your body getting ready to deal with whatever’s stressing you out.
If you experience this when you’re having a parking anxiety attack, take slow sips of water or chew gum. Make sure to have these on hand in your car if you experience it regularly!
7. Dizziness
When you’re anxious, your breathing changes. You typically start to take in quick, deep breaths, reducing the levels of carbon dioxide in your blood, which can cause dizziness as well as light-headedness, nausea and tingling in your hands and/or feet.
To help deal with the dizziness, take deep breaths and focus on a stable object.
7 tips on how to overcome parking anxiety
Here are 7 easy tips on how you can reduce the amount of stress and anxiety you experience from parking:
1. Book or rent a parking space ahead of time
Majority of people who have parking anxiety are worried about not finding a parking space in their place of work or near their home. But here’s a simple and quick fix: book a reserved or dedicated parking space for you. This spares you from to the anticipatory anxiety of not being able to find a parking space.
Parkhound can help you choose from thousands of parking spaces across the country, and book them for as little as a day or several months at a time.
Whether you’re looking for a car parking space in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth or ‘near me’, searching on Parkhound will find you the perfect spot that’s convenient for you.
2. Leave work or home ahead of schedule
If you’ve got somewhere to be and you know you will need to find a parking space, the best way to relieve pressure on yourself is to start your trip to the shop or your commute a little earlier than needed.This can also help you avoid peak hours in high traffic areas.
Generally, we recommend adding a 15 to 30 minute buffer to your trips.
Planning ahead is also crucial. It’s a good idea to use apps like Waze to see exactly how congested the roads are. Use it to check if the route you’re taking, and the area you’re planning to park in, is busy.
3. Practise difficult parking manoeuvres
Practice makes perfect and it’s no different for parking. Try practising parking manoeuvres in big, and open spaces with marked parking spots on the ground to help you feel more at ease.
If you find parallel parking intimidating, check out our guide on how to perfect parallel parking.
4. Practise parking with video games!
If you feel you’re not yet comfortable with real-life reverse or parallel parking, take advantage of the several parking games available to practise your skills!
And don’t discount these virtual reality games so easily! Playing certain video games, especially those focused on driving and parking, can help improve your hand-eye coordination and reaction time. It also helps to build up your confidence.
However, it’s important to remember that video games cannot replace real-world driving experience or professional driving instruction. Make sure to also practice any parking skills you’re looking to master on the road!
To help you get started, here are some parking games you can check out!
5. Practise positive self-talk and visualisation
As the saying goes: the best defense is offense. This can also apply to battling parking anxiety.
Positive self-talk and visualisation can boost parking confidence. Repeat affirmations like “I am a skilled driver” and visualise successful parking experiences.
While it’s easy to get bogged down by self criticism, challenge negative thoughts about parking with positive alternatives.Try replacing doubts with statements like “I can handle parking situations confidently.”
By integrating these practices, you can enhance your self-assurance and approach parking with a positive mindset.
6. Seek support and assistance
You don’t have to deal with parking anxiety alone. If your condition becomes overwhelming, consider seeking professional help. You can ask a friend or family member for support.
If you need a wider perspective on your condition, you can also consider joining parking anxiety support groups or forums. Try checking Reddit’s r/DrivingAnxiety community and check out posts from people who are asking how they can overcome parking anxiety.
7. Gradual exposure and desensitization
Gradual exposure and desensitisation involve easing into parking situations to reduce anxiety.
Begin with less challenging scenarios and gradually increase difficulty. Don’t forget to celebrate each successful parking experience as a reward for your progress (a small treat perhaps?)
This step-by-step approach helps build confidence and makes mastering more complex parking situations more achievable.
Don’t let parking anxiety stop you!
If you find yourself in a stressful parking situation and get anxiety, don’t worry! It happens and it’s sometimes unavoidable.
We hope the information and tips we provided can be helpful in managing parking anxiety and will encourage you to take steps to be more confident with your parking skills.
If you’re struggling to park or feel very pressured, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Remember that there’s no shame in asking for help.
But if you don’t feel like reaching out for help, you can always take the time to stop in a safe place and give yourself a break from the stress.
Did you ever get anxiety from parking? How did you overcome it? Share your stories with us!
