It is very common when driving not to know very well how to control nerves, impatience or anxiety in the middle of traffic that in the city, especially, but also on highways and other environments, can be very intense and oppressive. It can also happen that you are gripped by the fear of driving in the middle of streets or highways with all kinds of drivers who go at full speed, who overtake you with a warning of just seconds, who do not keep a safe distance or who fill the streets or they form traffic jams in which you spend endless minutes.
That is why it is important to know how to tackle those nerves because driving is not a game and as a result of that nervousness and impatience accidents can occur with serious results. That’s why it’s important to put aside the worries and problems you may have to focus on one thing: driving the car safely.
Since this is not always easy, here are some guidelines that can help you learn how to control your nerves while driving.
What do you need to control nerves when driving?
- Driving license
- A car
- Breathing exercises
- A psychotherapist
Instructions to control the nerves when driving
- Amaxophobia. When you just got your driver’s license and start using the car, it is very normal for you to feel a certain nervousness when facing real traffic, with other drivers who drive in very different ways and with more or less safety. But if that nervousness becomes something that happens to you every time you get into your car, we may be talking about a psychological problem known as amaxophobia, fear or even panic driving, and in that case you should seek professional help.
- The breath. To help you relax, an exercise with good results is to learn to breathe regularly, and to do it from the abdomen so that you control your breathing and do it appropriately, which will allow you to calm down and face driving more calmly.
- Before starting. Your life may be going through a time of great stress right now for many different reasons. For this reason, and since driving can intensify that tension, given that you not only depend on your driving skills but also on what others have, for better or worse, it is highly recommended that you sit down and wait when you get into the car. a few moments before starting the engine. Try a minute to relax, to think about the activities ahead of you and to remember that losing attention for a single moment can cause a fatal accident, for yourself or for others. And it is important that you leave the house with enough time.
- Shrug off worries. So that the nerves do not appear immediately when you get in the car, a good preventive measure is to leave worries aside. Park those thoughts while you drive the car, whether they are of a family, work or other nature. This will allow you to stay calm despite incidents such as a car delaying starting when the traffic light turns green or when another one blocks your path, typical reasons for “jumping” when driving.
- Prudent driving. If you drive with a prudent style you will reduce the predisposition to get nervous behind the wheel. This means maintaining safe conduct, not slow. Keep a safe distance, indicate turns and overtaking ahead of time, always check what you have in front of your vehicle and those who come from behind with the mirrors, facilitate the incorporation and overtaking of others, be attentive and anticipate the maneuvers of others. In addition, they are actions that will help you drive with less nerves and with greater control of the vehicle.
- Empathy with others. Put yourself in the place of other drivers and think that it is inevitable that complicated situations occur on the road with other drivers who are also driving on it, and there will always be forgetfulness, inattention, errors, which will have as a consequence unexpected braking, turns without warning, driving very fast or very slow… You must have some empathy and put yourself in the place of other drivers, and above all, think that for every mistake or cause of impatience from others, you yourself will make another, so have a little patience before getting carried away by your nerves.
- Don’t compete. And if someone maneuvers aggressively, either because their behavior is like that or because of some mistake on your part, of course the worst thing is that you try to return it and enter a loop of aggressiveness that you don’t know how it can end or that it can end badly, either because you start to compete in speed or in dangerous approaches or other similar ones. It is best that you lose sight of someone with aggressive or defiant behavior that can only escalate with a steering wheel in their hands as soon as possible. And if he does something that puts your safety at risk, we are talking about conduct that can be reported to the authorities.
Tips to control nerves when driving
- Worries and stress are the cause of a lack of concentration, and concentration is essential to drive away nervousness while driving and to do so safely.
- Respecting the traffic code will give you security when you are in the middle of traffic and will help you have more control over your nerves.
