• Replies 9 replies
  • Subscribers 87 subscribers
  • Views 2132 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Learning to drive is overwhelming

Donnie'sEyebrow

Hello,

I recently got my license (on my 3rd test attempt) and I'm starting to realise how overwhelming I find driving to be.

Sometimes I enjoy it - it feels good to be good at things - but other times, especially driving home after work or a late night event where I've been masking for hours, it's incredibly stressful. I usually cry on the drive home because everything is so overwhelming and I can't stop without stopping the car, but even then I wouldn't be in a suitable place to calm myself or feel better. Not until I get home.

I think this is a result of:

A. Being worried about how other people perceive me on the road

B. My overworked brain having to process the constant information about the road ahead and around me

C. Not being able to easily 'let go' of small mistakes I make

D. All of these things together distracting my thoughts! Making me worry I'm going to crash

I am still yet to start frequently driving home alone (one of my parents has been coming with me each time). So my experience driving could either get better or worse as I get more independent - I'm willing to find out! But driving is starting to become something I dread. I guess I really would just love to know that I'm not alone, it's hard not to feel isolated in my experiences a lot of the time.

I also feel like people who tell me "it'll get better with time." aren't understanding the complexity of my experience.

Thank you to anyone who reads this and/or shares their experience, it makes me feel less alone as an autistic person in a NT world

Parents

  • I hate driving, I was a first time pass but I was having lessons for three years before hand. The faults I got were for driving too slowly. 

    I can now drive, but I have a general limit of 45 mins at a time, 1:30 hours if I really push it but then I can't do any more driving that day, and I have to sleep. 

    It does kind of get better with time, and I can certainly get out of practice, but yes it is tremendously overwhelming every time, and yes people don't understand that. I try to stick to quiet roads and lanes and try to avoid driving at night, which helps too. 

    Other things that help. Especially around events. 

    - I always have a 10 minute buffer either side of every car journey. Does this mean I turn up to places 20 mins early quite often, yes, does this give me lots of time to recuperate so I'm ready for the next thing, yes. So yeah, put buffer time in to just sit in the car and reset slightly before you head off.

    - Weirdly enough, having music on, it just takes some of that worrying brain power away, especially on longer journeys. 

    - Quiet times, leave early in the morning, avoid rush hour at all costs and try to do quiet back roads, even though it takes longer

    Hope that helps and you feel like you're not the only one.

Reply

  • I hate driving, I was a first time pass but I was having lessons for three years before hand. The faults I got were for driving too slowly. 

    I can now drive, but I have a general limit of 45 mins at a time, 1:30 hours if I really push it but then I can't do any more driving that day, and I have to sleep. 

    It does kind of get better with time, and I can certainly get out of practice, but yes it is tremendously overwhelming every time, and yes people don't understand that. I try to stick to quiet roads and lanes and try to avoid driving at night, which helps too. 

    Other things that help. Especially around events. 

    - I always have a 10 minute buffer either side of every car journey. Does this mean I turn up to places 20 mins early quite often, yes, does this give me lots of time to recuperate so I'm ready for the next thing, yes. So yeah, put buffer time in to just sit in the car and reset slightly before you head off.

    - Weirdly enough, having music on, it just takes some of that worrying brain power away, especially on longer journeys. 

    - Quiet times, leave early in the morning, avoid rush hour at all costs and try to do quiet back roads, even though it takes longer

    Hope that helps and you feel like you're not the only one.

Children
No Data