How I deal with driving anxiety
In my previous post, I mentioned that I used to go to work one hour early because of my driving/parking anxiety. Fortunately, I managed to get over those fears over time. I still go to work an hour early, but now I do that so I can have an hour to read.
From the moment I got my license (almost 8 years ago) until now, I’ve battled with crazy anxiety when it comes to driving. It took a while for me to accept that this was MY normal and to start taking some steps to help me get through it.
In this post, I’m going to explain exactly what works for me and how I deal with driving anxiety daily.
Just get in the car
Sounds weird but hear me out! My driving anxiety comes to me before I get out and drive. Whenever I know that, at some point in the day, I’ll have to drive somewhere my mind just starts working itself out. I get stressed and think of all the excuses I can find not to go. It’s like I suffer in advance.
It came to a point where I couldn’t find any excuses and I simply had to do it. Funny thing I discovered is that the moment I get in the car and actually start driving, the anxiety goes away because I’m focused on what I’m doing.
So, for me, one of the things that get me through the anxiety of driving is just getting in the car and going.
Repetition
I’m the kind of person that, for the most part, refuses to drive anywhere alone if I’ve never been to that place or done that route before. I’ll always ask someone to come with me, at least once, whenever I’m heading somewhere new.
When I started working at the store (almost 2 years ago) I asked my dad to sit next to me in the car, the day before I started, and come with me to the store so that I would know exactly where to go.
It’s not like I didn’t know where I was (the store is pretty close to my house, only a 10-minute drive) but my anxiety made me feel like I needed a precise vision of what lane I needed to be in, what signs were around, and where exactly I could find parking spots.
For a while, I had those things in my head whenever I had to go to work, but over time I stopped caring so much. Because I repeat the same route every single day, I began to know exactly what to expect, and the anxiety went away. Even if something unexpected happens on the way I have the confidence to find a solution because I know my surroundings so well.
Singing
When I got my first car, right after I got my license, I couldn’t deal with any distractions while driving. No one could speak to me and there was no way that I could even consider having the radio on.
As time went by and I got more comfortable I actually realized that singing the songs that I like does wonders for my driving anxiety. So, I got my hands on an aux cord, created a banger playlist on Spotify, and now, whenever I’m up for a longer drive, I just sing my little heart out.
I’m into rock and metal and listening to that type of music always makes me feel like a badass, so I guess that also stimulates my confidence whenever I need to drive!
Bubblegum
I figured this one out recently. My boyfriend lives relatively far away from me (it’s around a half an hour drive, which is a lot for me, not only because of my anxiety but also because I’m used to going most places on foot where I live).
Sometimes I get pretty bad anxiety whenever I need to go to his place, even though I had a lot of practice throughout last year. A few months ago, I began to realize that when I left the house chewing bubblegum my anxiety just wasn’t there. I got to go to his place without even thinking too much about it.
Then I started testing my theory when driving to other places and it checked out! I guess that by putting my “stress” onto the chewing I manage to distract my brain from all the anxiety, and I just get things done.
Change your car
This one might not be easy for everyone to do, but it wasn’t easy for me either. I got my license when I was 18 and my parents bought me my first car. It was a €1000 Volkswagen Polo with manual transmission (everyone learns to drive stick here in Portugal).
Driving that car was a nightmare for me. I’m a good driver (fortunately always have been) and whoever was next to me in the car never noticed anything in me, but whenever I finally got out of the car it would always feel like I just went through the most strenuous task ever. I felt weak and lightheaded, the anxiety was horrible.
I felt like a failure, that something was wrong with me, and it came to a point where I simply refused to drive. Worst of all, I felt like a disappointment to my parents. Not too long after, I got my first 3-month part-time job and I came clean with my dad and told him that I couldn’t drive that car anymore.
At that time, I wasn’t ready to give up driving for good and came up with a plan B: I was going to try out a car with automatic transmission. I saved all the money I made from that job and asked my dad to find me a car. He found me a 2003 Smart car, I bought it and I’ve been driving it ever since!
If I hadn’t made the decision to change my car when I did, I don’t know if I’d be here today telling you this story.
How I deal with driving anxiety: final thoughts
Make no mistake, I still have a lot of anxiety when it comes to driving, especially if I need to go to new places. But these little things helped me get through the worse of it on my own. I hope that they might inspire someone in the same situation to not give up.
Do you deal with driving anxiety? Let me know what little tips and tricks help you get through it!
