My hypochondria has definitely left my mind vulnerable and more prone to other anxieties (not health related). For example, I have severe driving anxiety. I grew up in a small town with only two major traffic lights and I learned to drive on country side roads. Driving in the city is a totally different battlefield filled with pedestrians, construction, and numerous signs and blinking lights as well as traffic. When I drive in large towns, I panic and can’t concentrate. I have earned my G2 license, yet my brain can’t fully handle the task of driving. The weird thing is, I can usually drive when someone else is in the car with me, but I fear driving alone.
At twenty years old I strive to be independent. The fact that I can’t drive on highways or in cities is a handicap on my freedom. I revel in the thought of taking public transit or booking train tickets, but this is simply because I have no other choice.
Sometimes I visit a “no strings attached” lover in another city and I resent the fact that they have to pick me up from the greyhound station. Sometimes I want to ask a girl out on a date but I feel ashamed at the thought that I can’t be the girl who picks them up or drives them home.
In order to get over this anxiety, I have a couple of goals:
1. Sign up for driving lessons.
-I took drivers ed in high school but it wasn’t very helpful.
2. Become comfortable driving on the highway.
-I have a fear of highways that I need to overcome.
3. Get my full G licence before my G2 expires.
I figure it’s best to have all of these goals written down somewhere. Maybe this post will motivate me to achieve them.
October 11, 2013 at 4:34 pm
Yay Kira! I also have driving anxiety – terribly so. It took me a long time to get my full license and almost let my G2 expire. I finally got my G a week before my G2 expired and it was such a relief. I understand the anxiety, but the driving independence is totally worth it!! :)
October 11, 2013 at 4:39 pm
I arrived home for Thanksgiving to a pile of mail- one of the letters was a reminder that my G2 is going to expire soon! I’m a little worried about it but hopefully I can get my shit together. It’s good to know I’m not the only one experiencing it.