Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all,
Just wondering about peoples thoughts on this!
I've been finding that driving can often be a bit overstimulating for me. I overall enjoy it, the freedom it gives me is second to none, plus its a good place to scream at my loudest when I need to because no one can hear on the motorway. But i've found that just sheer volume of visual information is sometimes a bit much. Especially when it comes to the constant things ongoing in the mirrors that I can sometimes get distracted by when i need to focus on what's in front of me. This is especially during the dark, headlights in mirrors etc are so distracting and uncomfortable for me.
Obviously driving for long times is tiring for anyone, but even my normal commute home (35-45mins) at the end of the day really just takes out what little energy I have left after work. Any one else feel like this?
Thanks,
Euan.
Driving is one of the few things that makes me actually feel like a capable human being. Although I have my limitations with it - I’d never drive through central London for example (tried it once - never again!). I love the freedom it gives me - and treasure that. I like going to places really early in the morning or late in the evening - so public transport could never allow me to do that in the way a car can. And I feel so lucky to have a car - my car is quite old and nothing fancy but I love it and feel so grateful to have it. I also love listening to music in the car. My son really likes going for a drive and listening to music too - it reduces his anxiety/stress levels. He likes motorways. I only learnt to drive in my thirties and I never take it for granted.
Kate Kestrel said:I’d never drive through central London for example (tried it once - never again!).
I used to live in East London and have to drive to Heathrow and back daily for a job I had - truly horrible!
You get more used to the driving requirements with exposure - it just takes time for your comfort zone to adapt to the sheet volume of information you need to process every second.
On the bright side, this is one of the things that is an upside of autism - we are often capable of processing reams of information typically so once you learn to dial down the anxiety it can be just like any other drive.
Music was always a good way to stay calm in difficult conditions (heavy rain, long traffic jams on a bakingly hot day, aggressive drivers etc), but chose something mellow like classic music as upbeat stuff tends to get the heart going faster and triggers adrenaline.