new here, just had a really bad driving experience today

[lost29]

Hi,
I am 25 years old, and know I definitely have some sort of driving phobia or anxiety issue. I have had my license since I was about 19 or 20, but have hardly ever driven. I feel like as long as I know where I'm going, and the distance is not far, I can drive on my own. However, if I have to go somewhere new, I do not want to drive. More importantly, I have never been on a highway and am extremely scared of doing so.

Where I live (have lived here about 2.5 years) I have only driven:
1. to the same two shopping plazas in town
2. to the gym
Other than this, I have not driven anywhere else in these 3 years.

For the first time today, I decided I would have courage and drive to do laundry. This laundry place was in my hometown, but I was very anxious, as I had never driven there before. My fiance left the GPS in the car so that I wouldn't get lost. I turned it on, and got there fine. I was nervous, but I did it. Coming home was another story...

When I was pretty much close to home (I recognized the cemetery close to where I live), the GPS took me to a certain road that was blocked today. I immediately panicked, and kept going ahead to the next place it asked me to turn to...again, that was road was blocked! I was freaking out as it kept telling me to go forward and make a U-turn when possible. I was so scared that I would end up on the highway or something, or really far from home. I kept pulling over and hitting the detour on the GPS, but it would take me to the same place (where the road was blocked). I literally was a few streets away from my home, but I couldn't concentrate with the GPS telling me what to do (but me not being able to do it). I felt like I couldn't shut it off, for fear of driving somewhere and not knowing how to get back. I had to call my fiance at work and I was crying.

I took a deep breath and studied the roads on the GPS and recognized another street, so I decided to take that. After about 30 minutes (should have been like a 5 minute drive) I got home. I was so close, but my fear just wound me in circles over and over.

I am so tired of this, I really don't know what to do. I wish I could drive without fear, and I wish I could take the highway. I feel trapped at home...I am tired of making excuses of not going out...I am embarrassed that I have no sense of direction (even in my hometown!) I just can't think straight when getting in a car. Just recently is when I started driving into my town shops and the gym, so I have made progress, but I don't know how I'll ever be able to drive somewhere new or take the highway without panicking.

I hope I can get over this soon.

[elderwanda]

I suppose I'm not really in a position to offer any kind of advice about getting over driving anxiety. However, I really think those GPS things are not good for someone with driving anxiety, for the very reason you said. I think there is a danger of people (especially nervous people) focusing too much on what the GPS thing is saying and not observing. I'm assuming you are talking about one of those things that talks to you, but now I realize maybe it's something you look at. Either way, it's detracting from what's right in front of you: the road, signs, and all that stuff, which you need to be paying attention to anyway.

I've gone on trips where my husband was driving (he's a very observant driver, so I don't worry about him), and we had one of those GPS things that talks to you. It kept trying to get him to drive down someone's private driveway when we were trying to the beach. For me, it's too easy to focus on what that thing is saying, and to not notice things like stop signs. So I won't ever use those. They're good for some people, though.
:)