If you haven’t read part 1 of this story, go read it here: Driving Fear Stops People From Living A Complete Life. You can find part 2 here: Things Only Got Worse As The Driving Fear Increased. Here is part 3: The Key To Success And Overcoming Driving Fear.

The first thing that Tony learned is that his fear came from a deeply rooted subconscious association to driving. This occurred, for him at least, because of his wreck with his brother in the car. His brain made a subconscious association to driving and immediately labeled driving as a very bad, fearful, and horrible experience.

The same is true for anyone else who experiences driving fear. Either because of one very bad experience while driving, or because of a number of smaller fearful experiences, your mind has made a subconscious association to driving and has labeled it as being dangerous, bad, and something to be feared. The first step is to understand that your mind makes these types of connections all the time to everything. It’s normal and natural and it’s how we function in the world. You look at a door and your mind automatically makes the association to the door, the door knob, how to work the door, why you should use the door, and everything else associated with a door.

You don’t have to stop and look at the door, think about the door, think about using the door knob, try to think about why you want to go through the door in the first place. You simply take action and use the door. The same is true for your driving fear. Your mind and subconscious mind automatically associate driving, getting behind the wheel, and operating a vehicle as dangerous and something to fear. This happened, again, because of those few small experiences that you had in the past that created fear in you.

The problem is that your mind has created this fear of driving connection. It relates to driving as being dangerous. Yes, there is a degree of danger to driving, just like there is a chance of getting hit while walking across the street. This doesn’t mean it has to be dangerous though. There are a number of things you can do in order to reduce the danger of driving.

First, you can start by paying attention. This isn’t the paying attention so closely that you get paranoid and scared. But instead, paying attention and being aware of what is going on around you. Noticing the car pulling out in front of you two blocks ahead, or the car ahead of you about to merge into your lane. Awareness is the first step that Tony used, and it’s the first step you need to use.

The second thing you can do is to slow down. Who cares if the person behind you is in a hurry and riding your bumper. Let that person ride your bumper and do their thing. You take your time, pay attention, and drive at a speed that is comfortable for you. If that means doing 20 miles per hour under the speed limit to get started, then so be it. By slowing down and taking your time, you give yourself the comfort of feeling comfortable and the ability to respond and react much more quickly if you need to while on the road.

The final thing you can do to help get yourself started, is to start changing your subconscious association to driving. Begin to envision yourself driving along the road completely relaxed, care free, and completely in control of yourself and your vehicle. The only way to change your negative subconscious association to driving is to use the same tool that created it. Your mind made the connection with a few strong emotions, so you must undo that connection with a few strong emotions.

Be sure to feel strongly that you are in control of yourself, and your vehicle, and that you are completely relaxed and fearless while driving. As you envision yourself driving along, throw these emotions in as strongly as possible. Do this daydreaming a few times a day, day after day, until you begin to recognize your fear of driving starting to diminish. In the next and final part, we will talk more about how to overcome your fear of driving as well as some options you have available in order to speed up the process and learning curve.

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If you haven’t read part 1 of this story, go read it here: Driving Fear Stops People From Living A Complete Life. You can find part 2 here: Things Only Got Worse As The Driving Fear Increased

The key to success for Tony was simple. He very quickly realized that bravery was the key to success with anything. Most people fail, long before they get started, because of fear. Fear has the ability to stop us dead in our tracks, or create action within us, and which one of these two options fear creates depends on us and who we are at our core.

When faced with fear, our natural response is one of two things. In the psychological realm, this is known as fight or flight. You will either freeze in your tracks and die, run like crazy and maybe get away, or you will fight tooth and nail until you win or lose. You will either fight or flight, and Tony used this to his advantage in order to overcome his driving fear.

He realized that he needed to be brave, and that bravery had nothing to do with the fear that he felt. In fact, he realized that he could be completely, utterly, 100%, totally terrified, but that he could still function and that he didn’t need to allow his fear to control and rule him. Once he realized this, he very quickly became empowered to start facing his fear, to find a solution to overcome his fear, and to take the actions necessary to take back control of his life, and to no longer allow fear to rule over him.

Regardless of what you are feeling, there is always something you can do and actions you can take. The problem is that people often times allow their emotions and feelings to dictate their actions, and they very quickly lose control of their lives, situations, and anything else they get involved in because of this.

Take anger for example. When someone becomes angry, they usually lose control very quickly. This causes them to yell, scream, get violent, or any number of other possible actions and reactions. Fear works the same way. When we experience fear, especially when it comes to driving fear, we begin to shut down and withdraw and do everything within our power to remove ourselves from the situation in order to stop feeling that anxiety and fear.

The first thing that Tony did was realize that his fear was controlling him, and that it would continue to control him and his life until he empowered himself to stand up and face it. Until he decided that he was no longer going to be a victim of fear, but would instead use his fear to empower himself and as a fuel to overcome his fear. Once he did this, nothing was impossible, not even overcoming his driving fear.

He used his fear as a fuel, as a motivation, as a driving force to get his life back. When Tony thought about how scared he was when driving, he also thought about everything that this fear had done to him and his life. About how he had suffered for so long because of his fear. He thought about how everyone he loved had been hurt because of his fear, and how he had become dependent on people over the years. It made him angry as he thought about all of this, and he used that anger and that fear as the very foundation and reason to overcome his fear.

Once he gained the tools necessary, and the understanding about his driving fear that he needed, it wasn’t long before he regained control of his fear, his life, and his ability to drive without experiencing anxiety or fear behind the wheel. You must be able, willing, and committed to use your fear in order to overcome your driving fear.

You have to be willing, empowered, inspired to learn, to grow, and to regain control of your life and to overcome your anxiety and fear. You can do exactly what Tony has done, and you can get your life back.

In the next part, we will go into more detail about what Tony learned, and how he began to regain his life, his control, and his ability to get behind the wheel of a vehicle without feeling anxiety, fear, panic, or any of the other negative, unwanted emotions that you often times experience when it comes to driving.

If you haven’t read part 1 of this story, go read it here: Driving Fear Stops People From Living A Complete Life

The fear of driving only grew for Tony over time, and even thinking about getting behind the wheel of a vehicle would create knots in his stomach, and lump in his throat. He could feel his heart begin to beat faster as sweat formed on his face, and fear very quickly set in. Within a very short period of time, Tony began to experience anxiety and panic attacks before he even got behind the wheel of the vehicle.

Every time after that night that Tony got behind the wheel of a vehicle, he would instantly feel the fear set in. About a year after he had finally gotten his drivers license, which took him 7 tries to accomplish, he was driving through the center of town and went to make a left hand turn. As he did, he went up onto the side walk and nearly hit three pedestrians that were standing on the corner. “I could feel the panic and fear and anxiety in my stomach as I tried to drive. I could see the panic in those three guys eyes as I nearly took them out. I thought for sure I was going to hit all of them and that would be the end of their lives. I laid down my keys and haven’t driven since then, and you will never get me behind the wheel of another vehicle as long as I live” Tony used to tell people.

Every time he got behind the wheel, he very quickly felt his throat close up and his chest tighten making it extremely difficult to breath. He would begin to sweat all over and his hands would very quickly feel as though he had dipped them in a bucket of water. Before he even turned the vehicle on, he would begin to feel the fear and anxiety set in, and a lump would form in his throat. Many times it would get so bad that he would begin to feel dizzy and sick to the stomach.

He would often begin to panic so badly that he would have to get out of the vehicle in order to relax for a moment before trying to start the car up and begin driving. It was even worse when he was out on the road actually driving as the fear grew to the point of being completely unbearable. Images of Tony losing control, hurting other people or himself, screaming, and various other thoughts would begin to fill his head and he would lose complete control of his thoughts. He became convinced that his thoughts would become action and reality, and he soon stopped driving all together.

Eventually it became nearly impossible for Tony to do anything that involved driving. He would become so tense and afraid every time he got behind the wheel that it took everything he had just to turn the vehicle on and get to where he wanted to go without hitting everything he drove past. It wasn’t long before the anxiety and fear completely began to interfere with his social life, his ability to get back and forth to work, and eventually other areas of his life.

Tony married when he was 21, and soon found himself with a son 2 years later. His little boy was the center of his life, but as his son Mike grew up, his inability to drive began to wear on his marriage. Tony was unable to take Mike to school, sporting events, doctor appointments, and anything else that needed to be done. Naturally this all fell on Tony’s wife to take care of herself, and the stress of having to make sure she got to work, Tony got to work, and their son got to everything he needed to go to became to much.

Tony’s wife eventually left him and filed for a divorce when Mike was just 8 years old. She moved out of state, and left Mike with Tony. Without the ability to drive, Tony now needed to depend on anyone he could just to handle the most basic of tasks on a daily basis. He needed someone to give him a ride to work, to buy groceries, to take Mike where he needed to go. Before long, Mike had to drop out of all of the extra activities he was involved in because there was no way to get him there on time, all the time.

Tony began to grow more and more desperate with his situation. He knew that he couldn’t allow his fear of driving to completely control and take over his life. He had lost his wife because of it, and his son was now suffering because of him. It soon got to much to bear and he knew he had to do something about his problem.

He began to look for solutions to his problem because the only thing that bothered him more than driving, was when his family had to suffer because of it. He had enough when his wife left and he had to depend on others for help, but when he saw the look on his sons face when he told Mike that he could no longer play baseball, the knife had been driven deep enough into his heart to make him take action, and take action he did.

After some time, Tony came across a solution that solved his problem once and for all. He had been to doctors, therapists, psychologists, and various other people. He had tried the drugs, breathing, talking it all out, and anything else they could possibly give him to help. None of it worked, and he very quickly grew tired of the games and began looking else where for a solution to his problem. Before long he found exactly what he was looking for, and very quickly overcame his fear and started driving again without the typical anxiety, fear, and panic that he had experienced before.

The third part of the story will be online in two days!

In this 5-part mini course, I will tell you about a good friend of mine: Tony Carnahan and how he eventually managed to get over his fear of driving.

Tony Carnahan, 35, gets out of bed, gets dressed, packs his lunch for the day, and steps outside to wait for the person who will be coming to give him a ride to work today. Many times, unable to find someone who was willing to pick him up, Tony found himself walking the 7 miles to work in order to make a living for himself and his 13 year old son. Work isn’t the only time that Tony has found himself completely at the mercy of other people to give him a ride. Even basic tasks such as grocery shopping, doctors appointments, or just going to the store requires Tony to walk or find someone who will pick him up and take him.

It’s not that Tony can’t afford a vehicle, because it can. Despite living in a rural area that require people to have a vehicle in order to accomplish anything, Tony doesn’t drive, and hasn’t been behind the wheel of a vehicle in more than 20 years. In fact, Tony has never even gotten his drivers license.

You see, Tony and his twin brother used to take their mothers car when they were teenagers in order to meet with friends. He was somewhat of a wild child back in those days, but something changed one summer night. Tony’s brother had decided to take the car, as they usually did, without their parents knowledge. Tony decided that he would drive that night so his brother could relax and not have to worry about being behind the wheel.

On a back road far from civilization, on their way to a friends house, Tony had taken a corner to quickly, slid off of the road, and went down over an embankment completely totaling the car. His brother was flung from the car and ended up spending 4 months in the hospital and physical therapy in order to recover.

That night changed Tony and his brothers life forever. It took his brother 8 months before he was able to walk again without the aid of a cane or crutches. Tony never forgot the image of his brother laying by the car that night with blood rushing from his leg and the bone sticking out where Tony could see it.

Although there are no specific statistics on the number of people who deal with driving fears or suffer from this condition, clinical therapist Stacia Gilbert, therapist for the Hope Foundation in Selinsgrove, P.A., says “Driving fears are extremely common, especially among people who have experienced some type of terrifying or scary situation in a vehicle or who have had a close friend or family member who died or almost died while behind the wheel.”

In a few days I’ll post the second part of this story…

Don’t Let Your Dream Of Driving Turn Into Driving Anxiety

Most teenager dream of the freedom of the open road. For them driving represents the chance to get away from the watchful eyes of their parents and out into a world where they can be thought of as adults. While there may be restrictions on where and when they can go, they still feel that driving moves them beyond childhood and closer to adulthood. Some even hope that a drivers license will allow them to get a job, earn their own money and become even more independent. So why does the dream of driving sometimes become the nightmare of driving anxiety?

While the idea of driving represents many things to new drivers, the reality can be much different.

Most experienced drivers take getting behind the wheel for granted. But what about the new driver?
Are all of the warnings they receive during their drivers training classes and from their parents setting them up for failure?

When I went through driver’s education classes many years ago, we were shown movies of wrecks involving new drivers who didn’t heed the signals at rail road crossings. Nowadays new drivers are more likely to see cars that have been wrecked by drunk drivers.

These are some of the things that can turn the freedom you feel from driving into driving anxiety. The warnings that new drivers receive are given for a reason. Statistics show that newly licensed drivers have more accidents than any other age group. But only certain drivers are really at more than normal risk. If you are a new driver, who finds yourself suffering from driving anxiety when you get behind the wheel, try to keep a few things in mind.

The first thing to consider is whether you are obeying all of the traffic laws. These laws were put into effect for your safety. so if you are obeying them, you will be one of the safest drivers on the road.

I would hope that no one reading this believes it is okay to drink and drive. Avoiding alcohol, when behind the wheel will add to your safety immeasurably.

And lastly, new rules have been put into place in many states limiting how many passengers a newly licensed driver can have with them. Passengers can be a distraction and new drivers need to be aware of what is going on around them at all times.

If you are obeying the traffic laws and using some common sense when driving, you have know reason to develop a driving anxiety.

With experience you will begin to feel more at ease when driving.

Start with short trips, taking familiar routes.

Avoid driving on roads that make you especially nervous, such as the freeway.

Take someone you trust, who encourages you being to judgmental.

If you practice these suggestions while driving, you will gain confidence and any anxiety you feel about driving will become a thing of the past. Once you put your feelings of driving anxiety behind you, the freedom of the open road will be yours to enjoy for the rest of your life, just as you have imagined since you were a teenager.

Here is what we recommend to overcome your driving anxiety: The Driving Fear Program, it contains only the essential information that you need to know on how to overcome your fear of driving. Forget about taking medications. They won’t use hypnosis techniques that never work. You can save your money from going on therapy. The program is all about how to effectively overcome your fear of driving. It’s so effective, it’s used by psychologists everywhere in the world. Be control of your life and the wheel. Order your copy of the Driving Fear Program today!

You may not remember how long you have had a fear of freeway driving, but looking at the highway reminds you that it’s there. This can be a fear and anxiety that completely interferes with your life in many different ways, and it’s time you learn how to deal with and overcome your fear of freeway driving.

You already know that this anxiety makes traveling difficult. It can take a lot of extra time to avoid using highways when you want to go on vacation or need to travel any where that is more than a few minutes away. It’s almost impossible to travel without using a highway at some point, and the only solution is to learn how to deal with your fear of freeway driving. Here are 3 tips to help you do just that, and get you back on the fast track and to your destination much, much quicker.

The first tip is to take the time to daydream. That’s right, daydream. I know we are taught that daydreaming is a waste of time, but the people who told us that never understood the power of a daydream. Start by taking a few minutes each day to find a place that you will be left alone and sit quietly for a few minutes with your eyes closed. Clear your mind and relax as much as possible.

Once you are there, begin to envision yourself driving along a highway. See through your own eyes and with as much detail as possible, see your hands in front of you on the wheel driving along. See the cars around you, the road in front of you, the hood of the car. Feel the air conditioning or the air from the windows blowing through your hair. Feel the sun as it beats down on your face. Experience the drive in your mind as much as possible, but with one exception.

As you envision yourself driving, allow yourself to completely get involved with the daydream to the point that you literally feel as though you are there driving right then and there. As you do this, allow yourself to feel relaxed, calm, and completely at ease and peace as you drive. See the cars fly by you as you gently smile and just watch. The key to this daydream is to feel the emotions of being calm, relaxed, and at ease as strongly as possible and to be in your mind and your dream as much as possible and to feel and experience it as being as real as possible.

The second tip to deal with your fear of freeway driving is to take control of the situation. Slow down if you have to. If someone is behind you and they don’t like it, big deal. Don’t allow them to bother you. If they are in such a hurry, they can go around you. Take your time, and drive at a speed that you feel safe and comfortable at. You don’t need to please anyone else on the highway. Take your time, take control, and drive at a pace that you are at ease with and comfortable with.

The final tip is to take control of your thoughts. What happens when you are on the highway is that your mind begins to race with all of the things that could go wrong. All the cars around you, changing lanes, merging in and out of traffic, and everything else begins to race through your mind and everything that could possibly go wrong while all of this happens. You very quickly lose control of your thoughts, and those thoughts begin to create your fear of freeway driving. Take back control of your thoughts, ignore all of the other cars, relax, and focus on things that make you feel good, happy, and joyful.

You don’t have to live with a fear of freeway driving. You can overcome your anxiety and start getting back to being able to drive while staying calm, relaxed, and completely at ease and peace. Once you understand the basic techniques to do this, driving on the highway becomes as easy as walking to you stove to make food.

Please leave a comment and share how you deal with your fear of driving.

If The Fear Of Driving Alone Stops You From Living Your Life To The Fullest, Then You Need To Read This…

A very common fear that many people experience is the fear of driving alone. Your mind begins to race with everything that could go wrong while you are driving alone, and you don’t have the comfort of someone else there with you if it does go wrong. Before long, you very quickly lose all control of your thoughts, and every possible thing that could happen floods your mind and become overwhelmed, scared, and the anxiety and panic begins to set in.

You begin to feel your heart rate speed up and it feels as though your heart is going to jump right out of your chest. Your breathing becomes shallow and quick, and it feels as though you are being smothered as your chest tightens up making it harder and harder to breath at all. You can feel the sweat begin to form on your face and head, and your hands feel like you just ran them under running water because they are so wet. It isn’t long after all this that you begin to feel light headed and dizzy, and your stomach begins to knot up and you feel as though you could vomit all over the place.

Relax, you aren’t really driving right now, your just reading those words. But I know that you can relate to them because it’s exactly what you feel every time you get behind the wheel of your vehicle, and especially when you are driving alone. This is a very common experience for many people, and it’s something that anyone who experiences this problem very quickly wants to overcome. The good news is that there are ways to deal with your fear and anxiety while driving alone.

To start, you need to keep in mind is that your fear is completely a subconscious fear. It happens over a period of time and can be overcome, and undone. The key is to practice feeling relaxed, calm, and completely at ease while driving. There are times when you feel this way while driving alone, and you need to use these times to change your subconscious programming. When you are behind the wheel and you feel this calm, relaxed, completely at peace feeling. You need to use it to your advantage.

Start by paying very close attention to how you are feeling, and remember those feelings. Focus on them as strongly as possible when you feel them and continue to tell yourself “I am always calm, relaxed, and at peace like this when I drive alone.” This begins to program this thought and these emotions into your subconscious mind to help you overcome your basic fear at other times.

The next thing you need to do is recall these emotions when you begin to feel anxiety or fear. This means you need to literally take yourself back in your mind to the time when you felt calm, relaxed, and completely at peace. Recall how you were sitting, and sit like that. Recall what facial experessions you had. Chances are you were smiling gently, and you need to do that again when the anxiety and panic sets in.

The key is to recall as much detail as possible about how you were sitting, feeling, thinking, and everything else when you feel calm and peaceful. Then, when you feel anxiety set in, simply sit, feel, and think the exact same things in order to calm yourself down and get back to that state of emotional calm and relaxation.

You don’t have to experience anxiety or fear while driving alone. There are some very powerful techniques available that will teach you how to use techniques like the one above in order to reprogram your subconscious mind and overcome that panic you experience when you are by yourself.