Kitty Kat
05-28-2009, 06:08 PM
Hi I'm new here and uh, do not have Rich's program. I am going it alone so to speak and uh, I have issues. I'm 24 and have a learners permit. I've had one since last year and the ladies at the DMV are starting to give me pitying looks. You know the ones I'm talking about.
Well I just move the country, in the middle of the mountains, and couldn't practice because it snowed almost all the time the entire winter. Now it's spring. I've been driving everyday I am not working, and I was hoping that this would get easier. It, um hasn't.
Like all irrational fears, I felt that as long as I could keep practicing it would get better. I didn't think that in a mouth I would get to be 100% comfortable behind the wheel, but I certainly expected it would improve to the point where I wouldn't feel my stomach clench up and I start feeling anxious all the time. When I say all the time, I mean that when I wake up in the morning I think 'I have to drive today' When I get done driving I think 'I have to do this again tomorrow.'
I try to do a little bit each day, rather then a lot at once. There are some things that don't bother me that I think is odd. So many people talk about making left turns as being scary, but I did some town driving and it was fine. Before I drove I was worried that I wouldn't know if I had enough time, but traffic was only coming from one way and it seemed alright. However, I am noticing I have another problem, a big problem.
Are you ready? Your gonna laugh. Or cringe. Or both. Ready?
It's corners.
I know what your thinking. CORNERS! But that is like, easy, you just turn the wheel. What about traffic lights? What about Gas stations? What about parking lots! Everybody can corner!
Um. Yeah. Let me explain. As I said I live in the mountains with twisty roads and hard corners. Most often I'm on a 55 mph road, and the corners will be either 45, 35 or 25. Well its hard for me to go 55 unless I'm on a road with gentle curves. I feel like I can't control the car very well. I want to go 40-45. However my hubby keeps telling me, "you need to go faster, your slowing down, break when you get to the corner, not before. You need to go the speed limit."
Now in addition to my brains constant refrain of "Oh crap oh crap oh crap." I'm now hearing "Go faster, Go faster, Go faster. Go faster." Which is an improvement, kinda, I guess. Maybe. Yeah.
However now I feel like I can't slow down to my "comfort speed" anymore when I approach a corner I'm unsure of. This has led to my nearly getting into a head on collision when I cut a corner too sharp, or hearing weeds thwacking the car when I swing it too wide, to just plain trying to take 25mph corners at 45, which was, um very very bad.
I keep feeling like I'm going to loose control of the car, like it will slide off the road, or will be unable to corner properly and get us into an accident which we can't afford because it will drive our insurance up higher and we only have one car that we are still making payments on and then I'll have to live in a box on my street because we won't be able to work anymore. No pressure or anything.
Yeah. I have other issues, but this is the worst, and its getter more horrible the more I drive. Its like my experiences are fueling the searing mental images of what could happen, instead of banishing them. If I don't see some kind of improvement soon I don't think I can keep doing this. My hubby told me I need to be confident behind the wheel, and that if I'm not I'm a danger to myself and others and I shouldn't be driving.
I don't know anymore. I feel dangerous on the road, which doesn't help. Can I overcome this, is this ah, normal?
Well I just move the country, in the middle of the mountains, and couldn't practice because it snowed almost all the time the entire winter. Now it's spring. I've been driving everyday I am not working, and I was hoping that this would get easier. It, um hasn't.
Like all irrational fears, I felt that as long as I could keep practicing it would get better. I didn't think that in a mouth I would get to be 100% comfortable behind the wheel, but I certainly expected it would improve to the point where I wouldn't feel my stomach clench up and I start feeling anxious all the time. When I say all the time, I mean that when I wake up in the morning I think 'I have to drive today' When I get done driving I think 'I have to do this again tomorrow.'
I try to do a little bit each day, rather then a lot at once. There are some things that don't bother me that I think is odd. So many people talk about making left turns as being scary, but I did some town driving and it was fine. Before I drove I was worried that I wouldn't know if I had enough time, but traffic was only coming from one way and it seemed alright. However, I am noticing I have another problem, a big problem.
Are you ready? Your gonna laugh. Or cringe. Or both. Ready?
It's corners.
I know what your thinking. CORNERS! But that is like, easy, you just turn the wheel. What about traffic lights? What about Gas stations? What about parking lots! Everybody can corner!
Um. Yeah. Let me explain. As I said I live in the mountains with twisty roads and hard corners. Most often I'm on a 55 mph road, and the corners will be either 45, 35 or 25. Well its hard for me to go 55 unless I'm on a road with gentle curves. I feel like I can't control the car very well. I want to go 40-45. However my hubby keeps telling me, "you need to go faster, your slowing down, break when you get to the corner, not before. You need to go the speed limit."
Now in addition to my brains constant refrain of "Oh crap oh crap oh crap." I'm now hearing "Go faster, Go faster, Go faster. Go faster." Which is an improvement, kinda, I guess. Maybe. Yeah.
However now I feel like I can't slow down to my "comfort speed" anymore when I approach a corner I'm unsure of. This has led to my nearly getting into a head on collision when I cut a corner too sharp, or hearing weeds thwacking the car when I swing it too wide, to just plain trying to take 25mph corners at 45, which was, um very very bad.
I keep feeling like I'm going to loose control of the car, like it will slide off the road, or will be unable to corner properly and get us into an accident which we can't afford because it will drive our insurance up higher and we only have one car that we are still making payments on and then I'll have to live in a box on my street because we won't be able to work anymore. No pressure or anything.
Yeah. I have other issues, but this is the worst, and its getter more horrible the more I drive. Its like my experiences are fueling the searing mental images of what could happen, instead of banishing them. If I don't see some kind of improvement soon I don't think I can keep doing this. My hubby told me I need to be confident behind the wheel, and that if I'm not I'm a danger to myself and others and I shouldn't be driving.
I don't know anymore. I feel dangerous on the road, which doesn't help. Can I overcome this, is this ah, normal?