HOW TO OVERCOME DRIVING ANXIETY
Driving anxiety can happen due to many reasons. One of them can be when a person is stressed due to other problems in life and adding on to it can be the fear in sitting behind the wheels. One can be afraid of driving because they have witnessed car accidents or have heard of fatal car accidents either from the media or close associates.
Joanne Mallon, a recovered phobic and author of How to Overcome Fear of Driving, the number of people suffering from driving anxiety is unknown. “It is absolutely everywhere, but it’s a hidden thing,” she explains. “When I talk about the book, so many people say, 'I thought it was just me’.”
Continuing from our previous post, here are a few more steps to help one overcome driving anxiety -
• One can curb the driving anxieties by performing certain physical and mental exercises before or while driving. One should prepare the mind that the situations and accidents that occur on the road will not happen with them if they are alert and calm while driving.
• Following the traffic rules, staying alert, giving way to the other rash drivers, driving within the speed limits can help one to reduce the stress and anxiety while driving.
• One can always have a companion while driving who can discuss topics that are diverting and different from anything related to driving.
• Driving on an empty stomach can lead to distraction and therefore may rise the levels of anxiety while driving. It is advisable to eat well before driving as it helps one to concentrate on the road and not on the hunger pangs.
• Do not drive if you are under the effect of alcohol. That may lead to accidents and increase the stress and anxiety even more in future.
If the anxiety levels are extreme and cannot be curbed by the above methods, one can consider enrolling in a driving school. Also renting a car or by asking someone else to drive is another option one can consider. Watching someone drive with ease and calmness can help reduce the stress and anxiety levels, and one can get back to being their normal self in a short span of time.
