Pay attention! And I don’t mean to your driving or your anxiety as it's probably why the years of struggling have racked up. What I mean is to pay attention to what your fear is showing you. What is it trying to show you?

When I was struggling with the fear of driving it consumed my every thought. It was the first thing I thought of when I woke up and it was the last thing I thought about before thankfully falling asleep.

I constantly felt like my mind was racing trying to figure it all out, whilst juggling a busy work and sometimes home life. But the fear around driving home or the next day was ever present, despite keeping myself so busy I didn’t have time to think about it.

Pay attention to the symptoms of your anxiety. The solution lies in these symptoms and it’s also how you can use the super power of overthinking that has come with anxiety for good. You see overthinking can help you, we just need to direct that overthinking to good rather than complete catastrophe. My go to was that I was going to kill myself and everyone else on the road. I know, EVERYONE!? Imagine knowingly putting that much pressure on yourself.

How do I pay attention? it's all I think about, I couldn't be thinking about it more!

Car Safety checks

Are you causing yourself more worry by constantly checking the car? Is the water topped up? How much petrol do I have? Is my phone charged? Are the tyres safe to drive on? Do I have my emergency breakdown kit with me? All of these things may have good intentions and help you to feel safer but the constant checking is fuelling your fear. Think about it. After you’ve made all of these checks does it actually calm your mind and make you feel safe, or does you then move on to…Did I check the tyres correctly or what if I forgot to lock the petrol cap? What if the bonnet flies open when I’m on the motorway and I can’t see?

Sound familiar?

The anxious words you use

The words you use matter, whether it’s in conversation with others or the language you use in your thoughts. Have you ever noticed how you can either talk yourself in or out of something? Well, your subconscious mind pays attention to the language you use and it makes whatever you believe come true. If you think you can’t do something, whether you think you lack confidence, or you think you can’t drive on that big road or perhaps you feel judged when you’re driving a friend your wonderful mind makes your wishes become reality. If you haven’t noticed this, think back to a time when you were younger and you told your parents that you felt ill so you didn’t have to go to school. Did you notice that more times than not you ended up being sick? Well, that was your subconscious mind making it your reality. So pay attention to the way you speak about yourself.

Which one do you think is more beneficial to increasing your confidence?

Which one makes you want to get in the car and enjoy your freedom?

You're feeling like a failure

Comparing yourself to others & feeling like a failure. It’s really easy to think that everyone else on the road is enjoying driving and can get where they need to go without a single worry. You might even find that you constantly worry that other drivers are judging you’re driving. And that the person in the rear-view mirror is the most opinionated driver with nothing nice to say about how you are driving.

If you take a little longer to exit the car park - YOU are holding them up!

If they overtake you - They think you’re the worst driver in the world!

If they are a little too close – They are pressuring, you to drive faster than you feel comfortable doing.

Now, it might not sound or feel like you’re succeeding but if you’ve read this far you’re in the right place.

So what can anxious women drivers (You) do about it?

Besides paying attention to how your behaviours, your self-talk, and your feelings affect your confidence on the road. You can start taking small actions that turn the dial away from self-doubt and towards more confidence.

Sounds too easy right? I’m Jodie and I used to struggle driving I now get to witness anxious women drivers like you overcome their fear of the road every day. It’s kind of the reason why I do what I do. I believe that no woman should be limited because she can’t get where she wants to go.

I overcame severe driving anxiety (read more about my story) with the help of a hypnotherapist and the one thing I do know is that I couldn’t do it alone. I needed the coaching, the accountability, and the small actions that helped me build my confidence and enjoy driving again. And I truly believe you can be the confident driver you want to be.

So if you are ready to make the small changes you need to be able to get in the car and go…

Get in touch - (what is a discovery call?)

I can’t wait to hear from you

Jodie x