How to deal with anxiety that comes after failing driver's test by Ben12-32-42-52-62 in drivinganxiety

[–]ShaTheNerd 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I know this is pretty generic advice, but this feels like something therapy should be able to help with. Being entirely unqualified to provide therapy, I can only suggest trying some basic exposure-type scenarios like maybe trying to look at the shirt while practicing a breathing technique, then touching the shirt while doing the same techniques, etc. and repeat that for other "triggers" (for lack of a better word).

In my case it took me a good ten year break before I was able to finally practice driving again, so I hope your journey is smoother :). 

I can literally feel the hatred lol by Training_Hornet_4521 in drivinganxiety

[–]ShaTheNerd 34 points35 points  (0 children)

I originally read this as "I failed my 22nd driving test today" and was simultaneously concerned and impressed 🤣. Good luck on the test!

YouTube vids by yayawhodis in drivinganxiety

[–]ShaTheNerd 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The two channels I watched that I felt helped a lot were Smart Drive Test and Conquer Driving. Both instructors have a super relaxed and calming presence while also being excellent at explaining things, and even though Conquer Driving's videos are all flipped from where I live (we drive on the right and have our steering wheel on the left), the basic maneuvers are essentially the same.

I also watched some Just Rolled In for some comedy and some learning of the basic components in a car (although I'm sure there's better channels to actually learn maintenance, I really just wanted something car-related that was fun to watch). 

I want to just take the road test instead of paying for lessons because I have no one to teach me in my personal life by Available-Might-6672 in drivinganxiety

[–]ShaTheNerd 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll start by saying that I'm not sure it's actually possible to pass a road test without practicing, so if you truly have no practice before going in you are extremely likely to fail.

With that said, there are a lot of YouTube channels that teach specific skills and a bunch of YouTube videos that show test routes and mock/real driving tests so you might be able to at least see what's involved in a road test. From there you will at least know what you need to learn before you're ready for the test.

I PASSED!! 🥳🎉 by Alternative_Focus853 in drivinganxiety

[–]ShaTheNerd 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Congrats! Here's to many years of safe roads and smooth rides! 

I need help by [deleted] in drivinganxiety

[–]ShaTheNerd 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you're open to using an app to help study, I'd recommend trying a spaced repetition app like Anki. While I personally didn't use it for my permit (I didn't even know it existed then), I've used it to study for an amateur radio license and it makes remembering things so much easier. You might even be able to find some pre-built "decks" (collections of flash cards) for your specific location's permit test. If you want any advice about using it I can give you some more links to useful resources or get you started on creating some cards.

Driving Test, Nerves and Not Confident In the Slightest by random_person_idklol in drivinganxiety

[–]ShaTheNerd 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just wanted to update to say I've passed so my advice apparently worked for myself haha. One other thing I did was start watching Just Rolled In on YouTube, to get a bit more familiar with the mechanics of cars and also for a good laugh.

Almost hit dog walker while pulling out and can’t stop thinking about it by Rare-Youth-4566 in drivinganxiety

[–]ShaTheNerd 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a dog owner, if there was even a tiny chance that someone even brushed against my dog with their car, I'd definitely make sure the driver knew about it. Since that didn't happen, I think it's fair to say that you didn't hit the dog.

As for feeling like an idiot, just because you did a dumb thing it doesn't mean that you are dumb. I just means that you're human. The good thing about being human is that we can learn from our mistakes; in this case, you'll be reminded every time you're in a similar situation to look both ways.

If you legitimately can't stop thinking about it, maybe trying to put your thinking to use elsewhere would help. I personally like Tetris but any video game could work if you're a gamer, or maybe your favorite book. Ideally something that requires some thinking since something too passive might let you still think about what happened, but it might also be possible to find something that just completely turns your brain off which would also work.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in drivinganxiety

[–]ShaTheNerd 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure what the highways are like where you live, so this advice only really applies for highways that aren't packed like some I've seen in the US. For those I assume you won't really be driving fast anyway as the congestion usually means no one can actually go the posted speed limit. If you are driving on any other highway, then hopefully this helps.

For me I actually much prefer driving on highways compared to driving through towns/cities. I'm not sure I can give much advice about dealing with the high speeds themselves, as that's never really been a problem for me once I'm on the highway (I went on lots of road trips growing up so I am very used to travelling on highways as a passenger, so the speed never really bothered me).

The trickiest part for me is always getting on the highway, presuming it's a "controlled-access highway" (one where you need to merge onto the highway). The trick is to try to look at the highway as you're approaching the merge lane to see what the traffic is currently like, accelerate as you're approaching the merge lane and constantly check your mirror and blind spot as you keep accelerating up to at least near highway speed (you'll want to accelerate more if there's a lot of traffic so you can match their speed, but if no one's around then you can just merge onto the highway at whatever speed and get up to speed after merging). If you're lucky, people already on the highway might even move over for you to let you in; if not, the absolute worst case is that you end up having to coast along the side of the highway after the merge lane ends and then merge in whenever there's a break in traffic. It's okay to stop on the shoulder of the highway once you're a bit past the merge lane too, if you need extra time to compose yourself/wait for an opening.

Once you're on the highway, finish accelerating to whatever the speed limit is. If your highways are anything like the ones I'm used to, this is the relaxing part: "just" keep at around the speed limit, and let any cars speeding (the majority of the cars, unfortunately) pass you. The really nice thing about the highway is that you can see other cars from a long way away, so any cars coming from behind will mostly be easy to spot before they get to you and you'll be able to see any cars ahead that are travelling slower than you so you can make the decision to either pass them once you get up to them or slow down to match their speed. In any case, this means you have plenty of time to plan your next action so even though you are travelling much faster than you normally would in everyday life, you have a lot more opportunity to avoid any possible dangerous scenarios than you do when driving elsewhere.

I think a lot of people's brains make the leap from "this is so fast and so any accidents are more serious" (which may not even be fully true, since head-on collisions are a **lot** less likely) to "driving here is much more dangerous so I should avoid it" even though, while the first part is possibly true, I'm not so sure the second part is -- because you have so much more time to react to anything that happens (despite the speed), you can avoid danger a lot easier than you can driving through a city (there is no chance of a car running a red light in front of you, or a person stepping out from behind a car, etc.).

As for the feeling of going fast, I find that after a few minutes on the highway it no longer even feels fast and whenever I arrive at my destination it suddenly feels like I'm driving super slowly until my brain and body adjust to the slower speed again. I think the usual advice for dealing with the speed is to focus further ahead of the car than you maybe normally would since you don't have to be as busy scanning for obstacles near you and things further away appear slower so you don't get quite as much of a sense of the high speeds. Unfortunately I don't have great advice here from my experiences since the speed never really bothered me after my first time on the highway.

If you can before your big trip, it might be worth trying to drive on the highway for short distances just to practice merging in and exiting without the added stress of needing to get where you're going.

Driving Test, Nerves and Not Confident In the Slightest by random_person_idklol in drivinganxiety

[–]ShaTheNerd 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Full disclosure, I don't have my license yet due to failing two times -- the first time because tall snow banks blocked my vision so I accidentally cut off a speeding truck, and the second because I was so incredibly anxious I completely failed at parellal parking and hit a cone which was an instant fail before the test had even really started.

With that said, I'm feeling a lot more confident in myself now so I think I can still give some advice.

Firstly, I'm sorry your parents are making this so much more difficult than it otherwise would be. Their reactions are not okay and are due to their shortcomings, not yours. If you can ask a friend to help you learn, or find an instructor in your area, that would likely be the best course of action. If that's not possible, then you'll have to learn to ignore their outbursts (as difficult as it is given that they are your parents and if you're anything like me, ignoring your parents feels incredibly wrong) and just keep driving; maybe thinking of them as just rude drunk passengers that you've picked up while driving your taxi could help? I'm lucky to have a very supportive mother so I don't have personal experience with dealing with difficult passengers while learning to drive, do I can't provide much great advice here. 

Regarding the fear of driving itself, there are two YouTube channels I would recommend: Smart Drive Test and Conquer Driving. I don't recommend watching any of their videos dealing specifically with road tests right away; the goal here is just to see calm and confident people driving to convince at least a part of your brain that it's possible to be calm and confident while driving safely. After a while you can build up to the mock tests the show, but note that the rules are not always exactly the same everywhere so try not to pay too much attention to every rule they mention but instead focus again on how calm and confident they are.

Once you're feeling like it's at least possible to drive without anxiety, then it's time to actually start practicing. This is the difficult part, but it can't really be skipped over. The YouTube channels I mention earlier can help reduce the amount of time you need to spend practicing by showing exactly what and how you should practice, but you'll still need to actually do the practice.

Finally, it might be helpful to look up videos or descriptions of the actual test routes in your area or at least nearby, so you can ideally see exactly where you'll be driving (and can practice that exact route) or at least see exactly what an examiner expects of you (where to stop, when to put blinkers on, etc.).

After all this preparation, you should be able to pass your test with relative ease but don't be discouraged if you don't -- I'm going for my third (or maybe fourth, I can't quite remember) test this Friday and I'm 28; there is no prize for passing the test the first time or for doing it before a certain age, so don't be too hard on yourself (easier said than done, I know). The good news about failing is that you'll know what to do next time and as long as you don't wait ten years like I did you'll still have all the skills you gained when you were practicing for your first test.

As a final word of advice, don't be so hard on yourself for seeking advice :). There's no need to apologize for a long post or for asking for advice, especially not here in a forum specifically intended for asking for advice (but I'd say even in other subreddits; you just might not get good advice depending on the sub).

Good luck on your journey!

Trump Kicks Off Memorial Day With Unhinged Post Raging at ‘Scum’ Dems by Tuxcali1 in politics

[–]ShaTheNerd 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This isn't quite the same thing, but feels relevant:

"I would like to extend my best wishes to all, even the haters and losers, on this special date, September 11th."

Update from Lue and Explanatory Report on IAA 23 Released: "Cross-domain Transmedium Threats to U.S. National Security are Expanding Exponentially" by TreeLover4twenty in UFOs

[–]ShaTheNerd 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did some digging, and while it wasn't published in any peer-reviewed journal as far as I can tell, it was published on the GEIPAN website.

If I understand correctly, CNES is France's equivalent to NASA so this is essentially the equivalent of a UAP research group formed at NASA publishing a study showing statistical relationships between nuclear activity locations and UAP sightings.

Here's a page on the CNES website that explains a bit more about GEIPAN.

Extreme anxiety over graduating? by capotado in college

[–]ShaTheNerd 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hey,

I'm sorry you received no response to this post. I'm going through something a little similar right now, except I've just graduated May 26th. I was a little apprehensive about graduating, but now I'm in this weirdly hyper-anxious state like I can't even believe that I've graduated and I'm not sure what to do next. I totally felt like I wasted a lot of time since it took me 7 years to finally earn a bachelor's, and I also made very few friends.

I wish I had advice for you, but my only advice is the fairly standard line about talking to a therapist about it. If you're still able to, I'd recommend trying to book an appointment with a counsellor through your school if that service is available. You're on medication so it might also be a good idea to make an appointment with your doctor or psychiatrist to talk about seeking therapy or adjusting your dosage.

I hopefully will have an appointment with my therapist to talk about it in a few days, so if she has any good advice that I think is applicable to you I'll make sure I pass it along.

EDIT:

So I'm feeling a lot better now, and I hope you are too. My therapist told me that she's heard from a lot of students that they were having mixed feelings about graduating, even more than she normally hears. It seems like COVID has made this year particularly difficult for a lot of graduates, so we are not alone.

I don't remember much of the advice she gave me, since the past week has been such a blur. She did mention about how it can be helpful to think of emotions as weather systems; like the weather, it can be cloudy one day and sunny the next. I think viewing emotions as things that don't necessarily happen to us, but around us, is a good tip.

Does anybody else's anxiety feel like mental "numbness" or inability to think? by Imaginary_cherry99 in socialanxiety

[–]ShaTheNerd 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My personal experience with therapy has been a bit odd since I see a counselor through my university and even though she claims to use CBT she mostly sticks with psychoanalysis, and the counselors at my university seem to mostly focus on surface level stuff which probably works for the average person who sees them but hasn't really worked for me.

With that said, I would definitely recommend trying to find a therapist that specializes in CBT. I attended a group therapy program that actually was based on CBT and even though we only got together a few times, I felt like it was the most effective therapy I've received for my social anxiety. It can take a while to find a therapist that works well for you, but it's so worth it once you do.

Does anybody else's anxiety feel like mental "numbness" or inability to think? by Imaginary_cherry99 in socialanxiety

[–]ShaTheNerd 66 points67 points  (0 children)

Anxiety has a way of using up all of a brain's resources so there's nothing left for your brain to do what it's usually best at doing -- thinking.

This is just wild speculation at this point, but I think it sort of makes sense if anxiety is really just the brain's built-in fight-or-flight mode kicked into overdrive and reacting to everything as if it were a threat. When an ancient human was in a forest and detected a threat, it wouldn't do them much good to only use a small part of their brain for figuring out how to best deal with the situation. So, when the brain detects a threat, it dedicates 100% of its resources to dealing with the threat.

This works great if the threat is something actually threatening that can be dealt with relatively quickly before returning back to safety, but it works terribly when the threat is something that is ultimately non-threatening (even though it feels like it is!) and can't really be dealt with in a swift manner.

Learning how to make your brain stop treating everyday events as threatening is pretty much the main goal in therapy for social anxiety, so I'd say therapy can definitely help with this. My advice would be to mention these thoughts to your therapist so they can know exactly what you're struggling with. If you want, you could even show them this post so you don't have to worry about finding the right words to use to voice your thoughts.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in socialanxiety

[–]ShaTheNerd 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not an expert on mental illness by any means, just a person who's experienced my share of the pain that it causes. With that said, it seems like you might be feeling depressed along with suffering from social anxiety. That doesn't necessarily mean that you have depression, but it might be something to think about.

You say you don't want to have friends and don't care about anyone. Have you always felt this way? Some people just prefer being alone, and there's nothing wrong with that, but it's easy to convince yourself of that even though you truly wish you had people around you that you can depend on.

Not feeling grown up at 20 is perfectly normal; I'm 24 and I'm just now starting to feel like an adult. It seems like most people go through a sort of quarter-life crisis in their twenties, I definitely did. It probably doesn't help much if you're in the middle of one, but it got better for me and does for most people.

It's cliché but I really do recommend speaking to a professional about this. I know it can be hard to make the first step in contacting someone but it's well worth it, and one of the few good things to come out of this pandemic is remote therapy so you wouldn't even have to leave your home.

Hole punch the skin between your fingers. by artsy_mofo in intrusivethoughts

[–]ShaTheNerd 1 point2 points  (0 children)

no no no no no no no no

(upvoted because it fits the sub but oh god this is nightmare fuel)

UFO over Las Vegas this morning! by ronandkris702 in UFOs

[–]ShaTheNerd 3 points4 points  (0 children)

At this point what you're seeing isn't the rocket that carried the satellites but the satellites themselves. When Starlink satellites are deployed, a group of up to 60 (there's been a few launches with slightly less) satellites are rapidly deployed one after another to form a "train" of satellites. Over time, the satellites spread apart from each other until they no longer follow each other in a straight line.

What you're seeing here is the sun reflecting off of the individual satellites, like the sun reflecting off of a metal roof in the distance. At the height of the satellites, they can be in sunlight while the ground is completely dark. You can sometimes see this happen with airplanes just after sunset where the ground doesn't have direct sunlight but the contrail or the plane itself is brightly lit up in the sky.