VIBRANT VIEWS: Panic attacks and Anxiety - Driving

Alot of people tend to ask the same questions everyday...What is anxiety and how can I deal with it? Anxiety is a rather intimidating emotion to feel, a feeling that cannot be controlled & you are unaware of it creeping up on you. Different levels of anxiety lie in all of us all the time.''

I have suffered with Anxiety and Panic attacks for over 3 years now, I have always been anxious..but not on the same remote scale as I am or have been within the past few days....I've always been an anxious person, however after coming out of a controlling,violently abusive relationship last year anxiety took it's toll and became worse...Luckily a few close friends and family recognised the problem and I was referred to my local doctor..who after diagnosis of GAD ( Generalized anxiety disorder ) who in all absaloute honesty were completely useless...''Well we dont want to put you on medication so you'll just have to deal with it I'm afraid''....Stuff it I thought..I'll get on with it and deal with it myself..

Recently a few people have come forward to me with questions on how to deal with learning to drive, facing a theory test or just driving in general....since google wasn't much help I decided to give a few hints and tips on what and how to deal with overcoming anxiety in these specific situations''

Booking your Theory Test

In all honesty I think revising my theory and then actually 'booking it' was the most daunting part for me, I became so anxious, throwing up, panicking, to the point where any liquid's I drank just came straight back up. The thought of going into a building I'd never been in or to before and having to do the exam with people I'd never met in my entire life was nearly enough to end me, Luckily I passed first time on a stroke of luck I like to think.

I'm worried about failing my theory, what if the questions are too hard and it all goes wrong? 

Before booking my theory I took a month to revise,watching the theory test examples online, taking the online 

practice quiz several times, and reading/answering the questions in the theory test book which you can find here.

• Making sure I revised and knew all of the topic's within the theory test book helped immensely, the thought of just knowing you've covered most of the topic's will set you're mind at ease during the test.

• Make it you're priority to properly sit down, and have something to eat or drink prior to the test..no matter how small, or how 'sick' or nervous you feel..
• Distract yourself...if the building to which you're taking your theory test, is near to shops find the building first and maybe browse around the shops before hand.
• Arrive promptly....arriving about 15 minutes early will give you enough time to find out which room you're test will take place in, and also to get everything ready without rushing..
• MAKE SURE you have all the thing's you need, you're paper licence, card licence, glasses if you need them etc.
• Have regular loo visit's and also go to the loo beforehand.
• During the test don't be scared to ask questions or to ask for help...usually the test staff are extremely helpful and nice.
• If you're like me you may find that when you 'actually in there' you'll start to feel fine! the ' Well what was there to worry about!' fine.

Driving lessons

Luckily booking my driving lessons wasn't as daunting as I thought it would be! Ringing up a driving instructor to book your first lesson can be the scariest task, but I thought...Everyone has to do this at some point in their life...so why don't I just get on with it now?'..So him up I rang..arranged my first lesson..and AGAIN had the same thought...'why did I just panic over that? Nobody else does so why can't I just be normal?'..

Anxiety can really damage your' self esteem, I constantly thought people were judging me, or wondering what they thought or talking about me or whether my driving instructor would think I was a complete loon for panicking and shout at me or if I was sick during a lesson. I began to think I was ruining things not only for myself but for my family, my boyfriend and also my friends.. The day of my first driving lesson I panicked something awful, and I mean really panicked..to the point that my mum just had to sit me down and hold me still due to the nerves making me feel so sick...After I got into the car and 'the scary man' introduced himself as Dave I suddenly felt abit more comfortable..he started to build my confidence,telling me there was really nothing to worry about, did everything slowly and at a comfortable pace, and made sure I understood everything going on and taking place.

What if I get scared? I'm sick in the lesson or my driving instructor shouts at me?

• Try to choose a good driving instructor that has been recommended to you,whether it be a family friend, your aunt ,your cousin..you'll find yourself more at ease being able to discuss or talk about someone you both know or who has been taught by the instructor.

• If you're instructor shouts at you or tells you off for doing something wrong...wait until the end of the lesson, and kindly tell him you don't wish to pursue any further lessons with him..GOOD driving instructors are properly trained to deal and help you if or in case you make a mistake and wont shout at you...even if it costs slightly more to have lessons from a better instructor, it will be worth it in the long run as booking you're test wont be such a nightmare as you will have more confidence and understanding.

• If you' suddenly start feeling sick or too hot, don't be scared to explain this to you're driving instructor...they wont judge or make fun of you, if you feel sick ask to pull over and have some air for a few minutes, if you're too hot ask to open the window.

• Take mints or chewing gum with you - Chewing on gum or mints releases menthol, a good calming flavour/scent, this eases anxiety and tension and encourages you to relax more.

•  If you don't understand something, ask the instructor if he/she will explain it for you again...you may find you'll have an easier understanding the second time around.

• Don't be scared if they ask you to drive to a nearby town or city, focus entirely on your driving..instead of panicking over something else or thinking about something else.

• Have something to eat / drink no matter how small it is such as toast or a ginger biscuit..will settle you're stomach, you may find yourself feeling better after something to eat.
• Remember - Look at all the cars on the road....every single person in each car has had to pass their test and to have driving lessons at some point...'everyone's had to face it'.

Driving test

Taking you're driving test is a nerve racking experience, testing you're anxiety to the limit, not only are you already feeling under pressure, you're scared you might forget something, go the wrong way or stall at every turn....getting in a car with an examiner you've never met in you're entire life can sound daunting, but approaching it calmly may give you a whole new mindset.

What if I panic during the test and forget something, feel the need to be sick or go to the loo?

• Treat the test as a virtual tour, you'll be in the same car you took your' driving lessons in, introduce yourself to the examiner and pretend they are your driving instructor..and that its just another lesson.
• Explain to the examiner parts of the car and how they work, how you estimate the doings over other traffic etc, focus on YOUR driving and what parts YOU'RE going to explain that way you'll distract yourself from panicking''.
• If you take a wrong turning , or go the wrong way don't panic, carry on as normal as if you were just taking a normal drive or driving lesson..try to find your way back to the test route, you wont fail, in fact, you're examiner may yet be more interigued that you're able to find your way back and use alternate routes.
• There are plenty of driving test video's online, browse through them a few days before and up to the day of your test to gain a clear idea of what undergoing a driving test is like.