Struggling with Driving anxiety? 5 Strategies that Successful Women Drivers do, so that they Feel in Control behind the wheel

It doesn’t feel like it right now, but you are not alone in your struggles with driving and the anxiety and panic you experience. I work with women every day who think that they are the only ones, when in reality there are many of us suffering in silence, struggling with the daily commute and limiting our lives because the drive to get there isn’t worth the stress anymore. When I was struggling to drive over 10 years ago, I found it so isolating, thinking I was the only one who suddenly couldn’t drive. If I’m honest it came as a bit of a shock as I’d always been a confident driver. In the past, I’d thought nothing of jumping in the car and driving for a few hours without a care in the world. During this blog, I’ll explore five strategies successful women drivers use to move from fear to driving freedom.

1. Get clear on their goal of driving freedom (not the struggle with driving anxiety)

When I think about driving freedom, in my mind it means independence (not having to rely on anyone to do what I want to do whether it’s work or a social occasion. Confidence (the pure joy of getting in the car and driving anywhere, really is my happy place). And Spontaneity (being able to make a decision and simply get in the car and go). No longer needing to plan a simple supermarket shop within an inch of its life. But that’s me, why do you want to drive confidently? What does driving freedom mean to you? What will it allow you to do? Perhaps imagine where would be the first place you would visit if you could get into the car and drive anywhere? Create a clear image in your mind. Where do you feel that freedom in your body? All of these questions can help you to get clear on what you want, because what successful women drivers don't do it to continue to focus on the problem, they look to their goal - Driving Freedom!

2. Look at the habits that are keeping them stuck

When we think about habits or behaviours that revolve around driving anxiety, I developed an elaborate routine of phone charging, carrying water everywhere, snacks, and an emergency kit in case I broke down. I'd obsess about which routes I could take if there was an accident or a diversion. However, I see avoidance as one of the biggest habit that anxious women drivers develop. Some find it easier to drive with a passenger, some without (fearing the judgment of another driver). Often identifying safe roads in your mind vs no-go zones!, roads to avoid at all costs.

Have you noticed how these habits may have helped you at first but often with only short-term relief eventually leading to long-term limitations. Making your comfort zone smaller each time you add a road to the no-go zone. Have you started to track when and why you avoid driving situations? Is there a road or a person you find more difficult than others?

Anxiety fascinates me because that part of our mind that encourages us to stay home or stick to the ‘safe roads’ for some feels more like an urge and that voice in your mind only goes quiet when you give in and stay home. One way to build your confidence and break the habit is to extend your comfort zone a little and challenge yourself to take a different route to work because the only way to build confidence is to take action. Each time you take action and you're ok, recognising how well you did can help to reassure that part of your mind.

3. Pay attention to their thoughts and the language they use regarding the struggle with driving anxiety

The thoughts you have, your beliefs, and the language you use make a fundamental difference in whether you can achieve your goal. Your subconscious mind pays attention to what you say, think, and believe about yourself. It’s the subconscious mind's job to protect you and keep you safe and when you say something it sets to work and starts to find evidence to support the thought or belief you have about yourself. So when you are constantly telling yourself you can’t drive, you’ve lost all of your confidence and you’ll never drive again, it goes out to find evidence to support your story. Your thoughts CAN shape your emotions and behaviors.

So when you focus on driving freedom, you also get to decide what thoughts and beliefs fit your goal. I can drive confidently, I enjoy driving again, I can get in the car without a care in the world. And the best way to embed these changes on a subconscious level is through hypnosis or hypnotherapy.

When I speak to women who are afraid to drive, their negative stories about their driving or their belief about whether they can or can’t do it often triggers images of the worst-case scenario or feelings of fear. The best part about changing the focus and the story you tell yourself about how well you can drive is that it helps direct your subconscious mind to the new story, finding evidence that you can do it and it moves you closer to your goal of driving freedom.

4. They address any emotions that are holding them back

Often anxious women drivers have experienced one, two, or more incidents where they felt panic or anxiety when they were driving. This could be due to a road accident. A parent/ guardian was a nervous driver growing up. Some may even experience driving anxiety during a stressful time in their life. Big life events such as marriage, a new baby, bereavement, or redundancy can often contribute to the start of panic attacks behind the wheel, causing more anxiety each time they drive.

When these events happen, we can experience a heightened state of anxiety and in that moment fear can be established. Our subconscious mind may experience a feeling or a thought and in that moment may not fully understand what it is. In an attempt to make sense of it, the subconscious mind jumps to conclusions and files it away with a similar experience from your past. It does this in a way to protect you but sometimes it can establish a seemly unrelated incident to the driving anxiety, that same feeling of dread or caution.

Most of us, unless we have been taught otherwise address emotions by pushing them down (to deal with later) but when we don’t return to resolve these emotions they can start to raise their heads whenever we get in the car or simply think about getting the car.

And because the subconscious mind can’t differentiate between reality and an imagined reality it can feel just as scary to think about driving than as if you were actually in the car driving at 70mph down the M1. Hypnotherapy can be a great tool to help you resolve these emotions so that it no longer impact you in this negative way. Many clients gain insight into where these links were established helping them to overcome overwhelm, move on and build their confidence to drive freely.

5.  Let go of suppressed feelings and take control of panic attacks

Emotions are like one side of the coin; the other side can be experienced as feelings in the body. Often panic attacks and anxiety are described as heart palpitations, chest tightness, and or a shortness of breath. This can be interpreted as these emotions in our bodies. Learning techniques that help you to feel in control of your anxiety and prevent panic attacks also helps you to move from a state of panic to feeling more free to go further a field and explore places you've wanted to visit for some time.

Whether some find a thought can trigger anxiety, others find that a physical reaction such as panic can be the trigger that spirals thoughts to catastrophic thinking. Being able to get a handle on the physical symptoms can be game-changing. Imagine being able to quickly stop panic or anxiety in its tracks. When you learn techniques in and out of hypnosis it helps to translate simple breathing techniques into the subconscious mind's default coping mechanism rather than blind panic.

If there is one thing I can say to ease your mind it is that;

You are more capable than

you think you are!

The main difference between successful women drivers and anxious ones is that they found the courage and the bravery to take the first step to addressing one of the 5 points outlined within this blog.

If you would like to discuss how to get clear on your goal of driving freedom and build your confidence to get in the car and drive anywhere – Book a free exploration call to find out more.

Get Clear of your Goal of Driving Freedom!

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