Driving. I don't know if I have ever mentioned it or not but I do not have my driver's license yet and am nowhere near getting one. Driving makes me nervous and the times I rarely go driving I don't do too bad, I usually start freaking out as soon as another car comes near me. I've been thinking a lot about it and have been trying to figure out where the fear comes from and the only explanation I can think of is simply the fear of being in a car. I get nervous being next to big rigs and I have had my fair share of near accidents and one accident (not including the one where I had not been born yet). I am determined to finally overcome my fear of driving soon. Like "no birthday celebration if still no license" soon. People always tell me they were nervous at first but after a while it became second nature, I want to believe this my case too but I'm starting to think my fear is a bit abnormal. So now a question for you all:
Were you ever scared of driving? If so how did you overcome it?
Happy Monday!
5 comments:
Warning: long comment coming!
I was involved in a very ugly car crash as a young child. suffice it to say that I witnessed what no child should have to witness and was afraid to tell my mother because I was supposed to have been asleep. She didn't know I'd seen it, so we didn't talk about it.
flash forward 12 years or so... I'd buried the memories somewhere - but could NOT bring myself to drive. Anxiety attacks of the worst sort would hit whenever I touched the driver's door.
I was 23 and pregnant when I finally decided it was time to suck it up... the dreams still come (what I now know are memories) but I finally understand them... and I am an EXTREMELY cautious driver as a result.
I'm now... well, older than 23 (that baby is 15... you do the math!) and drive fairly comfortably... but it was a long hard road for me...
Driving IS a big responsibility - and I think someone who sees that and has a little healthy fear of it is on the road to being a much better driver than those who just grab the keys and go.
To overcome your fear of driving, start slow by taking the backroads everywhere. I used to live in Dallas and driving on the freeway terrified me. I learned to get everywhere I needed to go without getting on the freeway. The speed limit was slower and there are many lights to stop traffic. I found it to be the perfect compromise.
I can't say that I can relate to your fear of driving. I was dying to drive and get my own car at 16, so I learned pretty quickly on. Luckily, I haven't had any bad experiences on the road, except my car skidding on the highway on a rainy day. I did a 360 turn in the middle of the highway! Luckily, it was a Sunday morning and no one was on the road, but I admit to be shaken up a bit afterwards. I, obviously, had to get back out on the road again, but I was extra cautious. In my opinion, it's not a bad thing. Driving becomes second nature, so people start getting a bit careless on the road. That's when a little reminder (like what I experienced) comes in handy :) Good luck and I really hope you get over your fear of the roads. It's going to be be so liberating getting from point A to B without counting on someone else to drive!
Ohmigosh Anaiz we are twins! I too don't have my license and am absolutely petrified of driving. I'm not going to lie, I feel abnormal sometimes, because I always have to rely on others to bring me places, but the idea of driving terrifies me!
I actually did take driving lessons a few years back; but my instructor was crazy - he told me that if an animal ran out in front of the car, I should never brake; just hit it! If that didn't clinch my fear, nothing would!
I think that you just need to learn to drive for the right reasons. If you want to, then good - do it; but if you're doing it to please others, or for appearances sake, then you may never succeed. :/
Like you, I was also scared to drive.
When I was in high school, everyone I knew was so excited to get a license and start driving. I wasn't. Sure, driving provides a sense of freedom. You don't have to rely on other people to drive you around. When you want to go somewhere, you can just get in the car and go. And that's especially helpful if you're like me and live in an area that doesn't have public transportation.
Despite the benefits of driving, I was still so nervous to get behind the wheel. I was terrified of being in a car accident, despite the fact that I had never been in one. I think I had probably seen too many accidents on TV, which led to my fear. It really wasn't a fear of driving exactly, mostly a fear of just being in an accident and being injured. But that's still difficult to overcome. And because of that, I put off getting my license.
I finally got my license just before my senior year of high school started. Honestly, I think the only reason I even got my license then was because I only took three classes that year. And I didn't have to be at school until around 10:30 in the morning, so I couldn't take the school bus. My parents were at work, so they couldn't drive me either. I had no other option. I had to get my license. That forced me to face my fear. That summer before my senior year started, I practiced driving a lot. I drove all around with my grandmother in her car and the car that was going to be mine. The more I practiced driving, the more comfortable I got behind the wheel. And now I love driving. There really is no better feeling to me than driving with the windows down and music blasting.
Despite being comfortable with driving now, that fear of being in an accident has still popped up over the years. And that's because I've been in a few accidents now, so I know what it's like. There's been minor ones where I crashed into a dumpster, rear-ended a guy, and had a lady rear-end me. But only one accident was bad. A truck was coming in my direction as I was leaving work one day, but I couldn't see it. I pulled out into the road and the next thing I knew, I saw smoke and my car was totaled. I replayed that moment in my head over and over. I was scared and I felt stupid for pulling out in front of a truck even though I didn't see it. It was weeks before I got another car and got behind the wheel again. But I still remember that first time driving again after the car accident. I was so scared, but I overcame it and got comfortable with driving again.
Wow. Sorry that was so long! Lol! But seriously, if you want to learn to drive, then go for. Just be careful. Try not to let that fear rule your life because it will be okay. The more you practice, the more comfortable you'll get. I bet one day you'll love driving! :)
Post a Comment