Overcome Fear
of Interstate Driving
Driving the multilane interstate highways known to truckers as the "the supersled" can be intimidating. High speed, crowding and long stretches with no exits can trigger anything from sweaty palms to a full-blown panic attack. Fear of driving on freeways is considered a situational phobia. (A phobia is an irrational fear.) They are also learned responses to a perceived threat. The key words in that statement are "learned" and "perceived." "Perceived" means the fear is focused on something that hasn't happened yet, but might in the future. "Something" that is learned can be unlearned with patience and persistence. "Do the thing you fear," Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "and the death of fear is certain."
Instructions
1. Start by practicing freeway driving on limited excursions. Baby steps are good. During the day when traffic is light (not at rush hour), get on the interstate with the fixed intention of going only as far as the next exit. If this is tolerable, next time go two exits and get off. Behavior modification can be a slow process.
2. Reduce or eliminate distractions. Leave the kids and the dog at home. Turn off the cell phone. Don't take a passenger. Turn off the radio unless background music helps lower anxiety.
3. Expand the range with a longer trip. When going several exits down the freeway is comfortable, get a map and study the route to a goal in detail.
4. If computer access is available, use an Internet site, such a MapQuest, to get detailed driving instructions to the target location. Print these out in large type and lay them on the seat for easy reference, but don't try to read them while driving. Interstates have safety lanes at the extreme right, where it's OK to pull over and stop, catch your breath and check the directions. Stay in the car, though --- getting out on the edge of a freeway is not recommended except in an emergency
5. Get a GPS (global positioning system) and program in the destination. That little voice some have christened "Our Lady of the Dashboard" will issue instructions with alerts such as, "In 500 yards, merge right onto Highway 13" --- and she'll still be there after a wrong turn: "Turn around and go back to Highway 31."
6. If further help is needed, consult a psychologist for advice on overcoming a phobia. The techniques learned will be worth the cost of a one-hour visit.
7. Think of getting lost as an opportunity to explore. Finding a way home through unfamiliar territory can bring increased confidence and open up new fields to conquer.
Tags: Fear Interstate, Fear Interstate Driving, Interstate Driving, Overcome Fear, Overcome Fear Interstate