Can anyone help me get over this?

[Beauregard]

There is one thing i want to be able to do more than anything but i am stopping myself doing it.
I would love to be able to drive.
The world and his wife and do it so why the hell do i have this unrational fear of taking the plunge and booking lessons?
I had lessons a long time ago when i was 17 and had a horrible and impatient instructor ,she would tut and sigh and screech at me so i did the only thing i could and changed instructors and the new one was great but i gave up as i wasn't progressing as i had no confidence in myself(instructor agreed with me).About 2 years ago my parent's started taking me out in their car and i did quite well but then i just stopped and never picked it up or followed it on with lessons.
So fast forward 14 years and i still am a non driver.

It makes me feel so so embarrassed,it limits my career and my social life so why oh why am such a wimp?
I know that noone else can do it for me but i really do have a .......what i can only decribe as a head f* over this
I know that part of problem is that if i am being watched when im doing something then i just mess it up.
HELP

eclose-How scary ,are you staying somewhere for the week?

I took lessons when I was 17 and had a horrible instructor, who told me I'd pass my test when hell froze over!!! Really knocked my confidence as driving really did not come easy to me and after failing my first test very badly I gave up. I tried again when I was 21 with 3 other instructors, but one I became more like mates with, the other who was excellent left for a different job and the next was also inadequate. Last April I gave birth to my son and it was my dp who gave me the kick up the backside to try again and I finally found another instructor who was excellent. On my 6th test in December 2006 I passed despite thinking I never had it in me. What I am trying to say is if you really want to drive, don't give up and look around for an instructor that suits you, I went through 5 in all!! If I can pass, I truly believe anyone can, just some people take a lot longer to master driving than others. xxx

pelvicfloornomore, well done on booking lesson How exciting

hooray, pelvic, join the gang!!! My next lesson is 2morrow and we are doing a 3 hr one to the test town, (i live in the sticks).

Thank's both
Pirategirl-Wow 3 hours
Good luck for that one!

OMGi just booked my theory, its in 2 weeks, time to get revising.

Found someone to pick up my dd from school that day. as test place an hour away on zee bus.

I still think sometimes WTF am I doing, is seems rather surreal, but exciting too.

Pirategirl, I remember feeling like that. Half of you thinks I'm mad, I can't do this. The other half of you is thrilled to be doing it.

Having passed my test a week ago and been out alone a couple of times since (which I loved) I completely convinced myself I couldn't do it in the last two days so forced myself to go out alone today and guess what; it was fine: I can drive! I just don't believe it yet

PFNM - did your instructor tell you to book theory?

Just wondering cos your theory test will be much easier after you have had some lessons.

Yay! Well done Pelvic!
(I had some lessons with Heather - beeatch!)

hi pelvic, no it is 10-4 each day collect from house i live in croydon

Lol thanks Sassy

SlightlyMadScientist-Hi, no he didn't mention anything about booking the theory test.

PirateGirl-Well done you,keep us posted

Eclose-That's not so bad then but still i imagine very tiring.

Oops sorry - It was pirategirl thats booked the theory . I was panicking that you were going to try and take your theory without doing many lessons first.....

Nice of you to think of me

HI PG here, just thinking that as this is such a helpful and inspiring thread, that someone could rename it with driving in the title, ,for others to find easily??

I don't know how to do it??

someting like,

learner drivers comfort zone

or
help I'm learning to drive!!

Hi Pelvic
I haVEN'T READ THE THREAD BUT IT TOOK ME FIVE GOES TO PASS and i felt like you at many stages but i got there.

Also,y mil learned to drive at the age of 64 (when fil became ill) and it changed her life. We were all so thrilled.

You can do it.

You need to find a really patient instructor. I decided to learn at 19 and booked an instructor she turned up and expected me to drive the car straight away even though I had never had a lesson before. She never bothered turning up again and eventually she admitted that she didn't like teaching complete novices because it was too frustrating!

This dented my confidence and I didn't bother for a couple of years. I then decided to give it another go and I went with this old guy who had a 100% pass rate, but had a reputation for being very slow and lots of people had left him because they wanted to have a test before he felt they were ready. He also used to teach a lot of people with learning disabilities which I saw as a sign that maybe he was more patient than others.

It was hard work because it just did not come naturally to me but after hundreds of lessons I passed first time! When I passed I actually felt quite a confident driver and I think I drove better than a lot of my friend because I had had so many lessons.

Sorry for very long post! I just wanted to say you have to keep going until you find the right instructor and be patient you won't learn overnight. It took me 2 years.

Well done moondog and nogoes, nogoes what a cow your first instructor was, no wonder it knocked you.

As for passing at 64, thats really some thing to inspire.

Got a lesson today, wish me luck. eek

Hi everyone
Have only just got on the laptop as dd2 been very poorly.

Thanks for the encouragement moondog

nogoes-What a complete beeeeaaaaatttccchhh that driving instructor of your's was,it always astound's me as to why such people would carve a career for themselves in a job they so obviously detest?

Pirategirl-Good idea about the new thread,i will start one in othersubjects.Sorry i can't link so will have to bump it and post the thread title on here.
How did your lesson go?

Learning to drive for the terrified is the new thread girlies

new thread