Some novices in driving suffer from excessive fear and anxiety called “driving phobia.” The causes of this phobia are often due to a dangerous situation that this person was exposed to, a painful accident, or a scene of a terrible accident.
The phobia of driving causes fear and panic for the person affected by it when starting to drive a car, and it also causes him many problems in his daily life, so during the following lines we will review the advice of psychologists on how to get rid of the phobia of driving a car, which are as follows.
1- Bring comfort and relaxation in the car
It is preferable to wear clothes and shoes that make you feel comfortable, and before driving, sit for a few minutes in a state of extreme relaxation, with the car radio or the recorder playing on some verses from the Noble Qur’an, as they help calm the soul and overcome fear.
2- Calm down and breathe deeply
If you have a panic attack and feel tight muscles in your neck and chest, start breathing deeply, counting from 10 to 1 with repetition, thinking about some of the things that make you happy in your life.
3- Progressive muscle relaxation training
Psychologists advised doing some exercises for the muscles of the body of the person with phobia to reduce tension, including clench your hands for 7 to 10 seconds and then relax them for 15 to 20 seconds while focusing on how to relieve tension from your hands, then repeat this exercise with all your muscle groups, starting From your arms up to your head.
4- Repeating positive affirmations about leadership
Positive affirmative sentences are sentences that you assure yourself that you are on the right path in driving and that no mistake or problem will occur, until you calm yourself down, for example:
I drive with caution, stick to the speed limit, careful driving, safe driving.
Driving is a common activity that many people do every day, and I drive carefully and participate in that activity with others, but with caution.
- I should not drive fast, and I can stick to the lane on the far right if I want to go slower than other cars, and other camels that calm the soul and feel that there are no dangers in careful driving.
5- Facing the fear and panic (phobia) that you fear
Face your fears because exposing yourself will be very important, especially if you avoid driving because of your fear of having a panic attack, with a visual scale of your fear from 0 to 10, so that you can act before the anxiety rate rises and reaches an intense fear attack, an example of that:
Zero: Completely relaxed
One: Least Concern
Two: A little bit of anxiety
Three: moderate anxiety
Four: Realized Concern
Five: The start of the panic
6- Face your fear gradually
That is, you are afraid of driving cars, so do not start driving the car immediately, but do it gradually, in the beginning, as we mentioned, take the car keys and sit relaxed and calm for a few minutes, then drive in an area free of cars and people, then go to drive in a quiet area where there is no It has only a slight movement, and so you gradually face your fears.
7- Drive with a skilled driver next to you
To increase the feeling of safety and lack of fear, have a skilled driver sit next to you while you drive, and as soon as you feel comfortable riding with this person, then try to ride with other drivers, until you reach the driving without anyone with you.
