How do I get over my fear of driving?

Question

I'm nervous about all kinds of things in general. I have social anxiety. On top of that, my driving instructor kept putting me down and was mean to me. Now I don't feel like driving anymore. What should I do?

Answer 1

The only way to get over your fear is to  practice, practice, practice................

Answer 2

face your fear

Answer 3

I know how you feel, I am nervous about driving to. Tomorrow I will take my first lesson. I think you should change driving instructors and practice and practice until you are sure of yourself. Remember practice makes perfect and will give you more confidence when you know you are a good driver. Don't give up if you really want to drive.

Answer 4

Driving anxiety may be caused by a prior traumatic experience by a motorist, such as a car accident, a collision, or others, causing him or her to be an apprehensive and unsafe driver. In some cases, a person may be affected by driving anxiety under stressful driving conditions, such as along speedy cars on a freeway, or extremely congested traffic. This is regardless of driving experience or previous accidents encountered.

Some of the other signs of anxiety, especially when driving, are: nausea, dizziness, headaches, shivering or trembling, chest pain, diarrhea, flushing, stomach upset, and many others. When a feeling of anxiety progresses to major levels, a person may develop a phobia for driving. Because a phobia intends to protect the body from a form of danger that the mind conditions it to believe, a driver can experience panic attacks while on the road. A panic attack is usually unforeseen, and a person who has this can suddenly feel paralyzed, unable to breathe, and is filled with overwhelming fear that is unjustified.

A therapeutic way of easing yourself into driving again is to take a few minutes per day just driving from the home, around the neighborhood, then back. It is suggested to try this out for 10 minutes, then to stop the car occasionally for a five-minute break. This helps you associate driving as a relaxing experience, and not only a means of going from a place to another.