Social Anxiety & Anxiety When Driving

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Screwtape2

Screwtape2

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I seem to have a real problem with these and I'd like any advice or tips anyone has.

Social Anxiety: I'm one of those people who are so quiet that you wouldn't know I was in a room with you. I'm fine talking to others on the phone, via e-mails or letters and online but when I'm with other people I just go mute. This has been a problem for awhile but now that I'm half a month away from starting college I really feel I have to open up more. I think medication might be too drastic considering that my parents are divorced and down have much money between them.
Driving Anxiety: I can't seem to be behind a wheel without being really terrified. It can be so bad that I sometimes press down on the wrong pedal. It's good thing that I don't drive very often but like I said earlier with college and all, I'm really going to have to. With money and all I can't really get driving instructions anytime soon.
So does anyone have anything that could be useful in getting over these fear?
 
I don't like driving either, but you get more comfortable the more you do it. Recently, I was house-sitting for relatives and used their car because their house was far away. Well, the "car" was a huge, lastest model, tricked out SUV and on top of that I have a giant cast on my right foot so I had to drive with my left. I also get scared at night because I can't see well at all and have the most trouble with light on dark (so it's impossible to read signs at night). If I'm going somewhere unfamiliar, I plan the route in my head, or will even go a little out of the way to take a more familiar route. Another thing that helped me was driving smaller things for fun, like at work I drive a golf cart and for fun I like go-cart racing. It's fun, you don't have to worry about traffic, and it helps with your reaction and skills like backing out of tight spaces.
 
it's been many, many years since i was in an accident that almost killed me, but i still have trouble driving on the freeways, which is where the accident happened. highways and surface streets are fine, but freeways terrify me. i always stay in the far right lane and drive as slow as i can without going under the speed limit.

last week i had to drive out to the airport to pick up a friend who was visiting and i had to go on one of those new sky-high bridges. i spent the rest of the drive forcing myself not to look in the rearview and taking slow, deliberate breaths. it was terrible.

once i get there, i feel fine. it's just those few minutes when i feel myself starting to panic.
 
Mr. BAW said:
My mother was so fearful of other cars around her, she would park 1/4 mile from the entrance to a market or store just so she could navigate her big Buick toward the exit....:lol:
Click to expand...


I'm not THAT bad, but I can't park turning right and I'll pull through if I can, usually because I don't have a car and don't want to back someone else's car into something. There're also certain streets I will not even attempt to turn left onto.
 
I know how you feel about social anxiety, I struggle with it too. Its difficult to be shy in a loud, extroverted world. Where I work, you must be outgoing, but since I'm so quiet people wonder if there's something wrong with me. Its frustrating, but I think you got to learn to accept yourself and you'd be fine.
As for medication, keep it in mind, if you feel you could really use it
 
The more you drive maybe the less anxious you may get. my mom never did learn to drive and she's a horrible passenger pressing imaginary breaks.

If you were taken with a calm person to a really safe area where you could just get really comfortable with the car making it a second nature that might help.

I cannot drive at night or at least I shouldn't, I try to avoid it. I can barely see apparently my eyes don't dilate properly :huh:

I do sometimes have social anxiety. I try to remember it's in my head that no one is actually looking at me nor do they care. I'm only anxious initially once i'm in the situation i'm ok it's walking in that's hard.
 
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I had a psycho driver's ed teacher in hs that just about robbed me of all of my confidence in driving. So when I received my license I was really scared to get behind the wheel. To overcome this I started off small with driving to places around in the town I lived. Than when I felt confident enough I would venture onto the highway bit by bit. Eventually my practice paid off but it did take some time.

Just take deep breaths when you feel your panic setting in and remember not to rush yourself. Things like this take time. Btw since you aren't able to afford driving instructions. Is there someone in your family or a friend that you could help you out with driving lessons?
 
Screwtape2 said:


Yeah, I have an older sister. The only problem is that she's so comfortable with driving that she sometimes has a hard time accepting the fact that I'm not so good at it.
Click to expand...

Can understand that have an older brother who was the same way. Hope I everything is able to be worked out for you :hug:
 
Mr. BAW said:
Seeing daafish, it now reminds me that I didn't drive over the Golden Gate Bridge until just 2 years ago...that kinda freaked me out...:yikes:
Click to expand...

You did good man! :up:

My friend has the same problem, he's terrified to drive over a bridge.
 
I get social anxiety too. Even if I know the situation I'm going into, I still find myself occasionally nervewracked by it. I feel for you with driving. I don't have my license either. Not because I don't want to drive, but cos I have a hard time judging turns and am afraid that I'm going to hit someone. One of my first times learning to drive, I turned the wheel too much and clipped a mailbox and small garden :lol: I've only practiced a couple of times since then, but I know I'm going to have to get out there and conquer it since my learner's permit expires soon and it's a necesscity where I live since there's not much in terms of public transportation.
 
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How timely this thread...social anxiety...

We've had the same neighbors for the 6 years we've lived here; never more than a hello, how are you..

The couple is in their early 60's; they have one grown son and a new daughter-in-law; they come around twice a month...

Last week, Randy approached me at my office window; I was on the phone and merely waved him off, told him I would come right over when I was finished...

He asked, "Wondering when you and your wife (doesn't know her name) would like to come over for a BBQ?" I asked, "What's the occassion?"

He says, "Nothing, just us and you two." I ask, "Can I bring anything?" And he answers "No..."

SIX YEARS and never more than 500 words between us, now, he wants to BBQ...well, the BBQ was set for Sat. the 12th; I canceled that date date due to a commitment in San Diego...its reset for tomorrow, Friday...

BAW is a nervous wreck; you see, we have NOTHING in common with these folk; in our mind, albeit preconceived, they seem a little off kilter, we've considered everthing from them wanting to "swap" to "would you buy our house" ...

What I'd like to do is say, Randy, thanks for the invite but we really have nothing in common and I don't think we'll have much to talk about...BAW's even thinking about going to G-ma's for the night and letting me walk the plank...I don't know what to do...uh, 21 hours to go...:yikes:

Well??????
 
BAWs...go, out of respect and not to tip or piss the neighbors off, but have someone timely call your cell phone with a "pre arranged emergency".....that way you have an excuse to leave if you really need to. Might just be nothing, maybe they are really nice folks. Good luck! :up:
 
Mr. BAW said:
How timely this thread...social anxiety...

We've had the same neighbors for the 6 years we've lived here; never more than a hello, how are you..

The couple is in their early 60's; they have one grown son and a new daughter-in-law; they come around twice a month...

Last week, Randy approached me at my office window; I was on the phone and merely waved him off, told him I would come right over when I was finished...

He asked, "Wondering when you and your wife (doesn't know her name) would like to come over for a BBQ?" I asked, "What's the occassion?"

He says, "Nothing, just us and you two." I ask, "Can I bring anything?" And he answers "No..."

SIX YEARS and never more than 500 words between us, now, he wants to BBQ...well, the BBQ was set for Sat. the 12th; I canceled that date date due to a commitment in San Diego...its reset for tomorrow, Friday...

BAW is a nervous wreck; you see, we have NOTHING in common with these folk; in our mind, albeit preconceived, they seem a little off kilter, we've considered everthing from them wanting to "swap" to "would you buy our house" ...

What I'd like to do is say, Randy, thanks for the invite but we really have nothing in common and I don't think we'll have much to talk about...BAW's even thinking about going to G-ma's for the night and letting me walk the plank...I don't know what to do...uh, 21 hours to go...:yikes:

Well??????
Click to expand...
As it turned out, BAW's grandma is not doing well; she's worried about her ever-declining health so I gave her a pass for not going next door..I walked the plank....


5 HOURS and 3 bottles of wine later, I made it home telling BAW what a wonderful time she missed...! don't it just figure..?

The neighbors have lived her for 17 years and we are the first OUTSIDERS that they had ever entertained...I'm hoping that last night paves the way for more nights of friendship...:up:
 
:applaud: I am so happy for you BAWs that it worked out this way. Good times.......here's to more good times.....they wouldn't happen to be fellow U2 fans, would they? :wink:
 
Matter of fact, they do enjoy U2...I was pretty good about their ages,,,,she's 58 and he just turned 60...so we're all baby boomers....it was nice hanging out and learning how people meet each other..I saw their pics of when they first met; he was dark-haired and could pass for James Garner (Rockford Files) and she was short, thin (at the time!!!) and could pass as Gidget!

Not any more :no: LOL...
 
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