Help! I feel panicky when driving b/c I always feel lost. How can I overcome such a bad sense of direction?

Question

My sense of directlon is abnormally lacking. Without my GPS, I can only memorize one way to get somewhere and cannot always remember how to get back.

I have and use my GPS. The thing is, I still tend to feel panicky--especially in fast-moving traffick or at night--because nothing ever looks familiar no matter how many times I drive in the area or take the same roads.

I want to know how those with a naturally good sense of direction get around by driving. Do you have a map drawn out in your head from point A to point B? Do you consistently memorize landmarks? Do you easily orient yourself like a compass while driving and figure it out that way?

Answer 1

Around home, I use familiar landmarks if I go someplace I haven't been to, like a business I haven't visited before.  If I travel, I try to have local and state maps to help guide me.  I also have a handheld GPS that has high level maps - it shows interstates, exits, and main state highways.

Other than that - I just try to pay attention and notice things as I pass them, if I know I have to come back this way.  Sometimes it helps to call out landmarks out loud as you drive to help you remember them.  For example, if you say out loud, "I'm turning at the Ice cream shop by the Shell gas station", you're more likely to remember that later.  Of course, your passengers may think you're nuts.

Answer 2

You should get some therapy for it, maybe there is a hidden reason for it.

Answer 3

I drive thousands of miles a year and have done for years and still have problems driving "back" in a new area unless I make a mental note of landmarks at junctions etc.it´s the only way .I never  use a navigator.

Answer 4

I like to get lost then find my way home this helps me to learn the roads alot.

Answer 5

I've travelled quite a bit and I've found that if I buy a local map and go over all the street names and try to find where the government offices, hospitals etc. are at and what the name of the street is that they're on it makes it easier.

Many cities are built on a grid, so memorize the major streets that go all the way across the city.

I also repeat to myself the names of businesses I pass "McD's by the red light, shoe store on the left," etc.

Answer 6

Get a navigational system for your car

Answer 7

If i have to go some place iv'e not been before, i like to map out the before leaving home in the melways.

This tends to help me make sure i am in the right lane at the right time.

Where to turn is usually the biggest problem i think.

And if you do miss a turn don't stress out, just find a safe place to turn around and have another go at it. panic is not your friend behind the wheel.