Do you take breaks? (eg while driving)

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I find it generally very difficult to feel well while driving for longer time than is appropriate for me...

I feel afraid to stop and just rest even though I know it would help me...
This in turn increases my anxiety and fatigue levels...

The reason why I don't stop car is because I'm afraid of being seen resting in the car on the bus station (everywhere else there is no parking slot to be found or there's many people around there who might stare and judge or get ideas about what is happening) with my eyes closed for 4 minutes

It's just a damned difficult thing to do for me..
Sometimes I breathe and cool down in parking lots

Any experiences that you would like to share?

As I am getting older, I find that I dislike long distance driving. So now when I drive, I have adopted the motto: I stop at every rest stop. On most major highways they have rest stops scattered along the way. Normally there is one as you enter a state or leave a state with some scattered in-between.

Or you can always pull into a fast food restaurant. I do not think anyone would bother you for 4 minutes of shut eye.

Just hold something resembling a 'phone, and you'll look like a responsible driver who stops to text or talk. Also, people who look into windows are just rude anyway.

I drive very short distances (no more than ten miles) to my various activities. I don't see myself handling any really long haul drives in the near future. For out of town events, I find it is much better (and more fun and socializing) to ride with someone than to do it alone. I don't run the risk of getting lost or working myself into a sweat worrying about getting lost or in an accident.

I like long road trips, but like anyone I get tired too. At first I didn't like taking naps in the car because I would wake up and think I fell asleep driving. This causes me to panic a little. Once I got sleepy while driving so I parked the car on the edge of a gas station parking lot right under a tree. When I woke up I was like "AAA! I'M GOING TO HIT THIS TREE!" and yanked on the wheel. Napping in the back seat also didn't help because since childhood I have had recurring nightmares that I'm in the back seat of a car with no driver.

Now, I sleep with a spare t-shirt wrapped around my head, so that when I wake up, I first think about why I would do that to my head, and then by the time I figure out how to get it off, I am fully awake enough to remember that I'm in a parked car, not a moving car. Maybe I look like a crazy person to other people in the parking lot, but no one messes with a crazy person either I guess, because I've never been bothered.

Parking lots are an excellent place to rest up while driving. Or rest areas on highways.

Try not to stop on the shoulder of a highway to rest, unless it's an emergency. There's always a risk that a stupid driver will hit you. And you get the attention of the cops, too.

It's better to get off at an exit with a truck stop or many restaurants, then rest, then immediately get back on the highway. Most gas stations have "mini-mart" types of places where you can use the bathroom.

People are generally too much into their own thing to really be curious about other drivers.

I like long-distance driving---but I do get tired at times.

I once drove from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to New York City in one day, with only bathroom and meal breaks.

When I was younger, I made some epic drives with stops only for gas and WC. Once, I left with a carload in the morning, and by dark, every other driver was tired. I did 20 hours straight to get us to our gig on time. I passed the Oregon coast five times before I saw it in daylight. To get through Omaha, I had to watch for signs very carefully. This left little time to look in the mirror, so I just kept passing everything. One time, I needed a side-eyeshade due to a sunset, and fashioned a nice one without even stopping.
I sometimes had to fight sleep, and that is a skill I'd love to lose now. The worst bit was when I was not particularly tired, but I was driving a Beetle at night on new pavement, and the high-contrast dotted line flashing at me over the short left fender was severely hypnotic. It only occurs to me now that I could have safely driven over it! I was a very lane-bound boy.
Now, I'm more likely to need a break, so I have not only a nice bed in my car, but a full kitchen and emergency bathroom. As for being worried about what people will think - maybe just distract them with something else to wonder about, like why your car is weird.
There is considerable art to picking places to sleep in a car, especially quiet ones. YouTube has many hours of suggestions, so you can pick a narrator to match your own style.

The longest I have driven without stopping was 6 hours I think. I don't think I could sit that long in a car anymore without a break.

I drove my 1961 Oldsmobile f85 for 13 hours from Fresno ca to Kelso wa. Since you can't pump your own gas in Oregon (at least back then) I never got out of the car. By the time I reached Kelso for another fill up, my legs were nearly paralyzed. I didn't know at the time I could have gotten blood clots sitting in one position all those hours. Actually that's my dad's story which took place sometime in the early 90's. I don't drive.

I do find it difficult to "make" myself stop, even if I am tired. As a woman traveling alone, I do worry about being spotted as a victim, especially if I am asleep. Like Kraftie said, actual rest stops and under the lights are safer (I think.) I find it helps me to plan ahead where I am going to stop and make a commitment to stop there. Another poster suggested parking lots. Agreed.

I once drove a 1970 beetle across county. I have also driven between Florida and Quebec on more than one occasion.

Nowhere is there “total safety”—but a rest stop is much preferable to being on the shoulder of a highway.