When I was 12 years old, I was driving with my dad back home from a classmate's birthday party. It was dark, and raining, and some driver trying to make it through the intersection when the light was turning red rammed us at 50 mph.To this day I have scars all over my body, and it took physical therapy to get me back to normal. My dad came out relatively unharmed save some minor injuries.
As a result of this, my entire life I was afraid of driving. When I would go somewhere with my parents I would be constantly watching the road, and I kept my gaze always to the outside traffic half expecting one of the cars to suddenly ram into us.When it came time to get my license, I postponed and postponed it, saying it's not really a "problem." It's just something I don't like, and you can always find alternatives anyway.But being a grown man and not having the ability to drive yourself, constantly being dependent on others to pick you up or give you a lift, or using public transportation which makes every trip take twice as much time as it would with car.
Here are 4 tips on how to overcome fear of driving.Take small steps and you will eventually get to your destination -- A lot of people who have a fear of driving simply give up using their car altogether. This is the way to perpetuate your condition, not to heal yourself. If you feel that you're unable to drive, simply use the car for short periods. Either drive around the block, or to the grocery store, or take frequent pit stops to make sure your fear doesn't build up. By doing so, you're conditioning your mind to gradually overcome your fears.
Listen to soothing music while you're driving -- Music has great effect on our mood. Find some music that you can relax to and play it while you're driving. It will lower your overall stress levels and your will enjoy your ride more.Get a driving buddy -- To do things together is usually less scary than to do them by yourself. Many people have a fear of driving alone. Ask a friend or family member to accompany you while you drive. That way you'll build up your confidence and experience less fear.
You can explore strategies and techniques for overcoming your fear. There is more than one treatment that should help you get over fear of driving but it's up to you to discover them. Reading more about driving fears should allow you to expand your treatment options.Knowledge decreases the stress and anxiety associated with your driving fear. A lack of understanding about your condition and its symptoms can actually aggravate the intensity of your fear. To help you get over fear of driving, you must read more about it to lessen the anxiety. In turn, this will decrease the amount of fear you feel while driving on the road.You know someone who is trying to get over fear of driving. A friend or family member may be personally struggling with it and you can be of help by acting as a support system. It will pay to know more about what your friend or family is dealing with by learning more about driving fear.
Are you terrified at the thoughts of driving a vehicle? Do you make arrangements based on the availability of public transportation? If you or someone you love suffers from a driving phobia, you know how difficult it can be and how it can make even the simplest plans seem more challenging. Even choosing to live close to work does not always solve the problem as public transportation is not always dependable. However, the pounding in your chest, shaking, nausea, and overwhelming tension that occurs while you are behind the wheel makes it simply impossible to drive.
Of course, such a condition comes with a number of disadvantages and can negatively affect a person's lifestyle. There are times when it is unavoidable to drive alone, which can be detrimental to the driver. The fear of driving alone can result in experiencing a panic attack, feelings of anxiety, stress, nausea and even physical ailments such as headache, abdominal pain and a rapid heartbeat. Dealing with some or all of these symptoms can make focusing on driving nearly unbearable. In order to avoid such experiences, individuals that are scared to drive alone will turn to alternative methods like making sure they have at least one passenger in the car with them each time they get behind the wheel. Unfortunately, this is not a realistic method. Public transportation is another option but still does not address the problem.
Talk to your friends.The next people to tell about your anxiety and plans of getting over the fear of driving are friends. They don't need to know the past behind your fear if sharing it makes you feel uncomfortable. What you can tell them are the symptoms you're experiencing, what factors trigger your fear, and how difficult it is to deal with it. Do you experience panic attacks when trying to drive? Do trucks trigger your fear? Do you feel anxious when friends talk about talk about driving? Tell your friends about them. By sharing these details, they'll be more sensitive to your feelings and help you with getting over the fear of driving.
Believe it or not, there are different types of fear of driving. Not all people that deal with this condition experience it in the same way, nor are they scared of the same things. For those that have a fear of driving at night, their worries are not an issue until it comes time for the sun to go down. While some may think that being scared to drive at night is the lesser of two evils and less of a problem than being scared of driving overall, this version of driving phobia has a set of problems all its own.
Although being able to drive with no issues during the day is fine, avoiding nighttime driving can still become disruptive to a person's lifestyle. While those that avoid driving altogether turn to the options of public transportation and friends/family members to drive them around, trying these alternatives could prove to be more difficult when it comes to nighttime. Not all modes of public transportation are available all night, which could leave you stranded if you need to go somewhere late at night. Additionally, your friends and family members may not feel like getting up in the middle of the night just to drive you around.The reason why some drivers may have a fear of driving at night may be due to a traumatic experience that happened at night while they were behind the wheel. Common examples include hitting another vehicle, running into something (pole, center divide, etc.) or even hitting an animal. From that point on, the driver will end up associating being on the road at night with that particular experience.
As a result of this, my entire life I was afraid of driving. When I would go somewhere with my parents I would be constantly watching the road, and I kept my gaze always to the outside traffic half expecting one of the cars to suddenly ram into us.When it came time to get my license, I postponed and postponed it, saying it's not really a "problem." It's just something I don't like, and you can always find alternatives anyway.But being a grown man and not having the ability to drive yourself, constantly being dependent on others to pick you up or give you a lift, or using public transportation which makes every trip take twice as much time as it would with car.
Here are 4 tips on how to overcome fear of driving.Take small steps and you will eventually get to your destination -- A lot of people who have a fear of driving simply give up using their car altogether. This is the way to perpetuate your condition, not to heal yourself. If you feel that you're unable to drive, simply use the car for short periods. Either drive around the block, or to the grocery store, or take frequent pit stops to make sure your fear doesn't build up. By doing so, you're conditioning your mind to gradually overcome your fears.
Listen to soothing music while you're driving -- Music has great effect on our mood. Find some music that you can relax to and play it while you're driving. It will lower your overall stress levels and your will enjoy your ride more.Get a driving buddy -- To do things together is usually less scary than to do them by yourself. Many people have a fear of driving alone. Ask a friend or family member to accompany you while you drive. That way you'll build up your confidence and experience less fear.
You can explore strategies and techniques for overcoming your fear. There is more than one treatment that should help you get over fear of driving but it's up to you to discover them. Reading more about driving fears should allow you to expand your treatment options.Knowledge decreases the stress and anxiety associated with your driving fear. A lack of understanding about your condition and its symptoms can actually aggravate the intensity of your fear. To help you get over fear of driving, you must read more about it to lessen the anxiety. In turn, this will decrease the amount of fear you feel while driving on the road.You know someone who is trying to get over fear of driving. A friend or family member may be personally struggling with it and you can be of help by acting as a support system. It will pay to know more about what your friend or family is dealing with by learning more about driving fear.
Are you terrified at the thoughts of driving a vehicle? Do you make arrangements based on the availability of public transportation? If you or someone you love suffers from a driving phobia, you know how difficult it can be and how it can make even the simplest plans seem more challenging. Even choosing to live close to work does not always solve the problem as public transportation is not always dependable. However, the pounding in your chest, shaking, nausea, and overwhelming tension that occurs while you are behind the wheel makes it simply impossible to drive.
Of course, such a condition comes with a number of disadvantages and can negatively affect a person's lifestyle. There are times when it is unavoidable to drive alone, which can be detrimental to the driver. The fear of driving alone can result in experiencing a panic attack, feelings of anxiety, stress, nausea and even physical ailments such as headache, abdominal pain and a rapid heartbeat. Dealing with some or all of these symptoms can make focusing on driving nearly unbearable. In order to avoid such experiences, individuals that are scared to drive alone will turn to alternative methods like making sure they have at least one passenger in the car with them each time they get behind the wheel. Unfortunately, this is not a realistic method. Public transportation is another option but still does not address the problem.
Talk to your friends.The next people to tell about your anxiety and plans of getting over the fear of driving are friends. They don't need to know the past behind your fear if sharing it makes you feel uncomfortable. What you can tell them are the symptoms you're experiencing, what factors trigger your fear, and how difficult it is to deal with it. Do you experience panic attacks when trying to drive? Do trucks trigger your fear? Do you feel anxious when friends talk about talk about driving? Tell your friends about them. By sharing these details, they'll be more sensitive to your feelings and help you with getting over the fear of driving.
Believe it or not, there are different types of fear of driving. Not all people that deal with this condition experience it in the same way, nor are they scared of the same things. For those that have a fear of driving at night, their worries are not an issue until it comes time for the sun to go down. While some may think that being scared to drive at night is the lesser of two evils and less of a problem than being scared of driving overall, this version of driving phobia has a set of problems all its own.
Although being able to drive with no issues during the day is fine, avoiding nighttime driving can still become disruptive to a person's lifestyle. While those that avoid driving altogether turn to the options of public transportation and friends/family members to drive them around, trying these alternatives could prove to be more difficult when it comes to nighttime. Not all modes of public transportation are available all night, which could leave you stranded if you need to go somewhere late at night. Additionally, your friends and family members may not feel like getting up in the middle of the night just to drive you around.The reason why some drivers may have a fear of driving at night may be due to a traumatic experience that happened at night while they were behind the wheel. Common examples include hitting another vehicle, running into something (pole, center divide, etc.) or even hitting an animal. From that point on, the driver will end up associating being on the road at night with that particular experience.
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