Why am I so nervous to drive?

I'm 18 and I'm so nervous to drive! I have never went to driver's ed because my mother wouldn't let me and I really need to get past this. I know everyone is like "oh, it's always like that when you first start driving", no it's like serious for me. I get anxiety attacks! I don't know what to do. Next month I'm supposed to be going to drivers ed (my state laws require 36 hours of it) and I'm going to be freaking out about driving plus, I'm sure I'm going to be even more nervous sitting next to someone that I don't even know that's probably going to be a major a**hole! I heard that all of the driving teachers are like that. I'm just really nervous and scared. It's like all it takes is one false move, you or someone else...and then BAM! You're dead or in ICU paralyzed for life! Are there any exercises that will help me overcome my fear and anxiety of driving? Please, any help would be great!

Thanks,
Ashley S.

Karen B

I think i would buy a bus pass... I mean, you are freaking ME out just hearing your tales about driving... Maybe you are not ready

al t

take three deep breaths..........ignore every negative vibe you get........just concentrate on relaxing and learning.......your MOM sounds like a loser for stopping you from going to drivers education.......as soon as you get your full license, you may consider just driving as far away from her as you can ! good luck.

terrellfastball

CHILL!

The driver training will help with your nervousness. Along with instruct you in safe procedures and the laws, actual practice with a good instructor will get you through. As to the instructor's demeanor, it will be what you want it to be. If you don't listen and try, if you have a sarcastic or smart mouth, expect the instructor to be rude. Treat the instructor respectfully, listen to what you are told, follow directions, and you will get along with the instructor just fine.

Injuries while driving can happen, but it isn't the false moves that get you hurt, it is the stupid ones. The instructor is there to teach you not to make those. So pay attention, take a deep breath, and relax.

Friendly Stranger..

First of all, all driving instructors are not rude or horrible. They vary depending on who you get. Secondly, I think you need to think more positively. Part of the reason for your anxiety is fear. You said you are fearful of having a car accident. It is true that many do die from car accidents, but the root of your anxiety is the fearfulness of having a car crash. What you need to do is get plenty of practice, and take deep breathes. Its normal to be nervous but you can't let your fears stop you from performing well. Instead of driving in busy areas, drive in a vacant lot to get comfortable behind the wheel. Then work your way to small streets where there aren't a lot of cars. It does take time, and eventually the more you face your fears you'll get over it. I won't say it will be easy but it will take time. Just keep going, and don't worry about your driving instructor. Do your best, don't think about the negative in terms of having a car accident. Just focus on driving correctly and practice as much as you can.

UCANTCME

Your fear of driving is what's called a "conditioned" response.

Every time you drive, or maybe even think about driving, your subconscious mind remembers what happened the last time you drove and how you responded. It's easy for it to remember because it left a strong emotional imprint in your mind.

It wrongly associates that bad reaction of anxiety and fear with driving, and assumes that it must be dangerous and a threat, and activates the flight or flight response. This learning is done by the formation of 'neural pathways" in the brain.

Every time you drive in the future and experience anxiety and fear, you strengthen your brain's false belief and create MORE neural pathways, resulting in a faster and more sever phobia reaction. You actually "condition" yourself to be fearful!

This is how we learn many things, like riding a bike. At first, you have to really pay attention to what you're doing and it's awkward as your brain creates the neural pathways for the balance and coordination of bike riding. After a short time however, as those neural pathways multiply and grow stronger, you ride and make many subtle adjustments without conscious thought, it's automatic, you don't have to think about how to ride, you just do and your subconscious knows how.

In a similar way, as you create more neural pathways in your brain around driving and fear, you make your reaction of anxiety more automatic, more deeply ingrained in your subconscious, until that reaction occurs without your even thinking about it.

Since this learning occurs on a subconscious level, the secret to overcoming your fear of driving is to erase the old limiting neural pathways of anxiety and replace them with new neural pathways of confidence and calm

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