Are you struggling with driving lesson nerves?
According to Jack Handey "A belief is just a thought that you think over and over again"
Have you ever stopped to take notice of what your beliefs about your driving or passing your driving test are?
Are your beliefs holding you back and stopping you from achieving your goal of being a safe, calm and confident driver? If so then you may be experiencing what is known as limiting beliefs.
Limiting beliefs often start with phrases such as I don't, I can't, I mustn't, I am not, Others will.
Limiting beliefs can be the result of:
past experiences,
what we have been taught or told by others,
as a defence or safety net against fear,
as an excuse,
or even because of faulty reasoning or logic.
Think about what you say to yourself about driving or passing your test. Are the things you say to yourself increasing driving lessons nerves? Does the same thought pop into your head, again and again, making you feel more anxious while you are driving? You may have lots of reasons or explanations that sound perfectly reasonable and valid for why you are not confident while driving. However, if they are holding you back and stopping you from achieving or aiming for your goal, then they are limiting beliefs. Recognising that these are limitations that we have created ourselves are getting in the way of what you want, is the first step towards choosing to break them down. Mike Bundrant co-founder of iNLP Center shares a great article with examples of how limiting beliefs work which you may relate to, plus offers a technique you can use to help.
As a driving instructor, I am often told by my learners, "I can't pass my test!".
This is when we explore, through different coaching techniques, what the limiting belief is and where it has come from. We question whether the belief is really true and what evidence there is to support the belief, or whether there is evidence to challenge and break down the belief. If a student's main goal is to pass their driving test we break that goal down into smaller, easy to manage goals, all working towards the end goal.
The Confident Drivers stress management subscription offers access to a range of techniques to help you overcome your driving related limited beliefs such as:
Coaching section to help with goal setting, using mind maps and recognising and challenging limiting beliefs
Positive self-talk section with exercises to challenge incorrect beliefs and practice new supportive thinking habits.
Imagery exercises to help retrain the mind and overwrite outdated thinking habits.
Hypnotherapy audios to help reprogramme the subconscious mind.
Mindfulness exercises to interrupt unhelpful thinking and recognise that thoughts are not facts.
As well as breathing and relaxation exercises to help calm down the physical signs of stress on the body.
We can help you begin the process of making sure your limiting beliefs are not holding you back from your driving goals.
Find out more about how we can help with learner driver nerves or about group subscriptions for ADIs who want to support learner drivers.
Please help us by sharing this guide with others. There is a good chance that if you found it useful, so will they.
Read more of our reviews from happy learner drivers on Trustpilot
It's great to have a website offering fantastic techniques to assist with the challenges of driving. The website recognises the fact that learning to drive can be stressful and there are strategies to help with this. The website's name, 'CONFIDENT Drivers' is what a learner is aspiring to be, so it's very positive. The techniques also apply to building general confidence in all walks of life, so useful again. Thank you!
I was so pleased when my instructor signed me up for Confident Driver. I loved the hypnosis sessions & I recently passed first time with one fault. Recommend 100%
Confident drivers has been a really useful tool in changing my attitude to the driving test. I hadn't recognised just how much my negative thoughts about my ability rather than my actual driving ability have been holding me back and putting me off. I particularly liked the quick fix section that gives you strategies to calm down just before the test!
If you have a driving test coming up soon you might find our Ultimate Guide to Driving Test Nerves useful.
If you would like some self-help stress management resources to help you tackle your driving anxiety and improve driving confidence then our calming kit is created by leading industry experts especially for you. Access to all the resources is online.
These plans are created specifically for drivers and learner drivers looking for online solutions to manage driving nerves and anxiety. We also have a range of group plans created for driving instructors who would like to offer support offroad to their learner drivers, you can find more details on our ADI page.
We created this podcast for drivers who want to be calm and confident on the road. Whether you are a learner driver, a new driver or have been driving for years, this podcast will help you to beat driving nerves and anxiety and build your driving confidence.
Co-hosted by Kev & Tracey Field, each Driving Confidence podcast episode offers bite-sized information and ideas that are both relatable and achievable to help you manage your driving nerves or anxiety and transform how you feel about driving.
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