Published on 12, July, 2020
I really want to learn to drive but I have tried before and my social anxiety was too much to deal with. I don’t know what to do because I will not put myself through that again. My senco at college suggested a specialist driving instructor, but I cannot find any in my area. Learning to drive is also so expensive! I’m just so worried that I will never be able to drive, I really want to just be able to drive now!!! I don’t know what I can do about this and how I could possibly learn?? I also don’t know whether to learn in an automatic or manual?? Just too much for me and I don’t know what to do!!!
I find driving scary and anxiety provoking, but I somehow managed to learn and pass my test when I was 18, then never drove for years because I was too scared. In the past year I've started driving again very gradually and can now do small journeys and familiar routes. For me, it would be much easier to drive an automatic but I don't have one. (I'm sharing a friends car which is manual) If I ever bought a car I would get automatic. It just removes an additional thing to think about/that can go wrong. If you know someone who can supervise you as a learner and will let you use their car (or you could even buy your own if you have the means) you could just pass the theory, have a couple driving lessons with an instructor and then do a lot of practice driving with your friend/supervisor. That way you don't have to pay for as many lessons. Of course it depends how you cope whether this is viable. It might take you longer than other people but if it's "only" the anxiety holding you back you can definitely learn to drive if you take it slow and do things gradually. Definitely try to find a sympathetic instructor and tell them from the start that you are anxious and need to take it slow.