Lainie
07-10-2008, 02:42 PM
Hi folks, I'm Lainie from England. (See how far your fame has spread, Rich?!) Hope you're having better weather where you are. We've just had more rain in a single day than is usual for the entire month.
I'm not sure when my anxiety about driving first started. I drove quite happily to work for many years, but that was just within my comfort zone of about four miles! When I needed to venture further, it became a big problem and eventually I felt I couldn't do it. I bought Rich's program quite some time ago and have been studying it hard. It's crammed full of good sense and information. Unfortunately, what I haven't done is to practise in my car, and I waited until that time when I 'had' to drive, which is exactly what Rich advises us not to do! Yesterday, I had to drive about ten miles (not far, but it can seem like an eternity). Although I hadn't been practising, his wise words stayed in my mind and I kept chanting some of them to myself, like a mantra - things like 'my feelings are just feelings... it doesn't mean anything'. When driving down the wide, open road (by English standards!) which I have always feared, I kept saying out loud, 'I like this road, it's a great road' - and it really seemed to help. Anyway, I did it, and it was far less stressful than I'd feared. I'm going to keep on practising now that I see some light at the end of the tunnel. Good luck to all of you - nice to speak to you from across the pond, and thanks Rich for all your support. You're advice about eating the elephant in small pieces is spot on - one step at a time and we'll all get there!
I'm not sure when my anxiety about driving first started. I drove quite happily to work for many years, but that was just within my comfort zone of about four miles! When I needed to venture further, it became a big problem and eventually I felt I couldn't do it. I bought Rich's program quite some time ago and have been studying it hard. It's crammed full of good sense and information. Unfortunately, what I haven't done is to practise in my car, and I waited until that time when I 'had' to drive, which is exactly what Rich advises us not to do! Yesterday, I had to drive about ten miles (not far, but it can seem like an eternity). Although I hadn't been practising, his wise words stayed in my mind and I kept chanting some of them to myself, like a mantra - things like 'my feelings are just feelings... it doesn't mean anything'. When driving down the wide, open road (by English standards!) which I have always feared, I kept saying out loud, 'I like this road, it's a great road' - and it really seemed to help. Anyway, I did it, and it was far less stressful than I'd feared. I'm going to keep on practising now that I see some light at the end of the tunnel. Good luck to all of you - nice to speak to you from across the pond, and thanks Rich for all your support. You're advice about eating the elephant in small pieces is spot on - one step at a time and we'll all get there!