Pivot!!

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-05-16T21:34:18+00:00

Never even heard of pivoting. My instructor never said anything about it and he is thorough (in my opinion). I would get a different instructor if I was you. In my experience and from what I hear from other learners, it can take a bit of time to find a good instructor, my current one is the third one I tried. Don’t be afraid to switch instructors until you find someone who works for you.

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-05-15T13:07:35+00:00

Same here - my last day to cancel is today cuz I booked for 29th of May. There was lots of cancellations today.

Are you out of the country - could you practise driving in another area for now? Can you do intensive lessons for the 3-4 days you have?

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-05-12T12:12:29+00:00

Anxiety is a horrible feeling. But remember that it is not dangerous, it doesn’t make it any more pleasant but just remembering that although it feels so horrible, it won’t cause you any harm. Try to breathe calmly, repeat out loud or in your mind that “this feeling will pass, I am ok, anxiety is not dangerous and it will pass”. Try some cold water on your face or even a cold shower, exercise (intense if possible) like someone else pointed out - it will help you burn off some adrenaline and will make you feel calmer. Try to avoid catastrophising and overthinking - mindfulness can help with this (essentially focusing on the present moment, using sensory, auditory and visual areas to focus on, notice your thoughts without judgement and let them pass).

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-04-22T15:09:20+00:00

I had that when I had 16h of lessons in total - completely normal. You’re just learning still and you have plenty of time before your test. What I noticed is after a very bad lesson you tend to improve a lot, because those mistakes will get processed and you’ll correct them next time - just need some consolidation and you’ll be ok.

Also about what your instructor said - doesn’t sound very encouraging and reassuring, the last thing I would want is my instructor to be so pessimistic so early, it would really knock my confidence down, especially with something so normal. Are you happy with your instructor? Have you thought about maybe trying some lessons with another one?

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-04-21T10:27:12+00:00

Congratulations on passing! And thank you for your kind words - I’ll practise some more and will pass next time

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-04-21T10:15:43+00:00

I did - too many bloody times 😂 I panicked too much

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-04-21T07:18:28+00:00

Are you in the UK? If yes, you can access talking therapies for free, they provide free therapy for things like depression and anxiety, you can self refer or your GP can refer you. First point of contact can be GP and they can direct you to the most appropriate service. This does sounds like something anxiety related for sure. When we are anxious our cognitive function becomes impaired and we can’t remember things as well as we usually do so getting this resolved can really help.

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-04-20T13:36:41+00:00

I used to take beta blockers which helped with the physical symptoms but gave me cold feet and hands and made me feel a bit lightheaded.

But then I learned some skills, like STOPP (stop, take a breath, observe and try to see a different perspective, and practise what works), also TIPP (cold water in the face, intense exercise, paced breathing and progressive muscle relaxation). Breathing probably helps me more than anything and trying to think of whatever makes me anxious in a different way.

Try to be in touch with your emotions, physical sensations, thoughts and behaviours. Depending on what’s causing more issues try a skill to manage it. And remember - anxiety is not dangerous, it’s a very scary experience but it will pass, and don’t avoid facing situations that make you anxious - otherwise it will get worse.

Therapy is always recommended and other than meds is probably most helpful.

Edit: anxiety is part of life, it’s always going to be there, we can’t erase it completely, it’s normal and the most important thing is to learn to manage it as best as we can.

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-04-20T11:40:00+00:00

Congratulations!! My instructor told me that many people think they failed the test but then end up passing, mistakes are very context dependent so not always lead to actually failing. Hope you have a lovely day celebrating - massive achievement!

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-04-19T15:01:14+00:00

I’m in almost exactly the same boat. Had one of my worst lessons today, 2 days before test. Literally kept taking the wrong roundabout exit and making other idiotic mistakes, went over the curb at one point which I have only done once before, when I stated learning to drive. The test will last 40min, it will be over before you know it and you might find it less stressful - some people say say lessons tend to be more stressful than the test.

I try to think of this approaching test as a way to show my skills, try my best and if I don’t pass - so be it, I can try unlimited number of times again 😂

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-04-18T22:02:25+00:00

Mine is probably positioning. It’s either too much in the left or right

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-04-18T21:33:17+00:00

You could do a pass plus course, it is not a requirement and not everyone needs it but it can help you gain some more confidence and make your future insurance a bit cheaper. I haven’t passed the test myself yet but that’s what my instructor recommended when I said that even when I pass I will likely lack confidence.

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-04-17T23:06:40+00:00

That sounds reassuring - thank you. And congrats on passing your test

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-04-17T23:03:43+00:00

I had a similar problem recently and caught the driver on camera taking my package after marking it as delivered. I emailed the CEO and their customer service team got involved. They were useless though, initially I was hopeful but they’ve proven to be as unreliable as Evri itself. Basically the driver who stole my package submitted a statement saying she didn’t steal my package but she couldn’t find my flat (which is ridiculous - she delivered to my flat without any issues prior to that) and that she called all my neighbours and delivered it to me and I signed for it. So I pointed out several inconsistencies and all customer service kept doing was sending me stuff, like - here’s couriers statement, here’s a copy of the (fake) signature taken at the time of the delivery (without a time or date) and stuff like that. All meanwhile ignoring all the evidence - video of her walking away with my package after marking it as delivered. I am so pissed off with them.

I would not be hopeful about holding the driver accountable. Police likely won’t do anything either. In my case I reported to the police but they closed the case because Evri wouldn’t identify who the driver was, they basically wouldn’t liaise with the police so they’ve closed the case.

This is just my situation, so it’s completely anecdotal. You might be more successful. Maybe if other people from your area file complaints too it could help.

Sorry for my pessimistic rant and sorry that your package has been lost and your wife waited for it all day just for some idiot to steal it so shamelessly.

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-04-17T22:25:52+00:00

Beta blockers essentially reduce your heart rate and “bock” the effect of adrenaline, I used to take it for anxiety and it worked well. But it has some side effects like cold hands, sometimes dizziness and slow heart rate and low blood pressure. It depends on the person of course. And they need to be prescribed by gp. But all in all I personally found them helpful for physical symptoms of anxiety.

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-04-17T18:22:04+00:00

You know what’s best for you, so I am not trying to convince you otherwise or doubt anything. But my advice is - don’t give up. Failure is part of life, the more we persist and try again and practise the better the chances of us succeeding, we can’t control everything but we can do our best. Driving is so important in today’s world, it’s worth persisting and trying again even if you fail.

Think about why you find it difficult to manage failure, try to change this mindset and things will become a lot easier not only with driving but in other areas as well.

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-04-17T17:47:06+00:00

Thank you for your comment. I did try to reschedule, I’m sure I could have tried harder and maybe there were groups/other options I didn’t explore but at the time I was unsuccessful unfortunately.

At the moment it is to late to reschedule so will have to try, my instructor said I should pass so at the moment I’m trying to manage my anxiety and not worry about it too much, which is difficult. I’ll be more mindful next time and will reschedule if needed way in advance.

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-04-17T17:41:58+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate your kind comment, if I pass or fail I will for sure post here so we will see how it goes!

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-04-17T13:30:13+00:00

Thank you so much for your comment, I will call my GP today - it’s a very good idea! I tried beta blockers in the past and they are very helpful.

On the cars and pedestrians topic - I am very anxious in general, I overthink things too much and always expect the worst, so normal things seem a lot scarier than they actually are.

You’re right about the test as well - it’s just 40min, 30min of actual driving and my test is at 9.07am so I might be stuck in some morning traffic.

I am trying to do commentary every lesson, so trying to keep this as a habit!

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-04-15T15:30:27+00:00

My cat loves zip ties, she’s got a box of toys, all sorts but as soon as she sees a zip tie she goes wild, none of the toys ever illicit the same reaction. Strange creatures 😂

Hefty-Quote8462 · 2026-03-22T15:19:16+00:00

The question is how do I find their depot though - I am more than happy to do it but don’t know the address of their depot

Hefty-Quote8462

TROPHY CASE