Two ways to deal with anxiety when you first start taking driving lessons
If you want to learn how to drive and intend to book some private driving lessons, here are a couple of tips which should help to keep your anxiety levels low during this challenging experience.
Find the right instructor
The instructor you choose to take your driving lessons from will have a major impact on how comfortable you feel behind the wheel. If they are unnecessarily harsh and use a hostile, irritated tone of voice when correcting your mistakes, you will probably feel on edge throughout every single driving lesson.
Similarly, if they are cold, unfriendly and remain stonily silent throughout most of each lesson, you may feel uncomfortable and ill at ease during the time you spend with them. In addition to creating an unpleasant atmosphere, this could also make it harder for you to focus on improving your skills.
As such, it's a good idea to try out the services of at least two or three instructors, before you decide which one is right for you. This will enable you to compare and contrast their instructing styles and attitudes. This, in turn, will ensure that you find someone who is supportive, patient and who makes you feel as relaxed as possible when you're on the road.
Make sure you have a comprehensive understanding of driving theory
One of the best ways to keep anxiety at bay when you're behind the wheel is to learn everything you possibly can about driving during the days between your lessons. The more knowledgeable and prepared you are for each driving session, the less frightened you'll be when it comes to tackling the challenges you'll face when you're behind the wheel.
Try to study the theoretical elements of driving on a daily basis, so that you can quickly reach the point where you no longer need to stop and think for a moment before you determine the answer to a particular question.
Having an extremely thorough understanding of the rules of the road will ensure that you do not hesitate and panic when it comes to make decisions during your lessons or make a mistake that could knock your confidence and prevent you from progressing.
You won't for example, have to pause and try to remember the meaning of a particular road sign before deciding whether or not to continue driving. Similarly, you won't find yourself worrying about whether you or another car has the right of way when approaching a roundabout.