yesterday my friend (who is also my ex-girlfriend and we still have feelings for each other but that's like a whole other thing) was driving me home. we were a few blocks away from my house and it was 4pm, the sun was directly in her eyes. she ran a stop sign and an SUV hit us from the side. the car spun around and both airbags deployed. i'm extremely grateful and amazed that we're both okay, but her car is totaled and it scared the hell out of both of us. she's 19. i'm 18, and we had both never been in an accident before. i have to distract myself constantly otherwise i think about the accident again. it was just so terrifying. how can i stop thinking about it?

Think about it. I know it's not what you want to do, but you do need to think about it. I don't mean ruminate on it, but the best way to deal with concerning or obsessive thoughts of any kind is to just let them wash over you and pass. The harder you try to avoid them, the worse it will become. It's extremely fresh, and with time it will fade for you. In the meantime just keep yourself busy, and when the thoughts come, breathe through them, and let them drift away.

You could seek counseling. I don't know what your options are or the cost of it in your area, but it's worth looking into if you think you need getting over the accident.

thanks for your kind advice, i'm doing a lot better now, it took me a week or two to really get over the shock of it and i'm pretty much completely fine now (:

That's good :)

You need to face your fear head-on, or else it won't go away. You need to think about the accident and realize it's over, it happened, and it's done with. Then you can try to properly move on and begin to live again. You should seek counseling, or therapy. Accidents can cause PTSD. I would also suggest seeing a checkup with a doctor to make sure you have no minor injuries that can cause bigger issues down the road. Try to take it easy and just talk out and vent with family/friends. ❤️