“Watch out! Don’t…oh no. Look there.”
Does that sound familiar?
To start driving is not easy. Especially if the person teaching you is more stressed up than you are. To be honest, nobody can function proper when the stress levels are high.
Everytime I start teaching a new client, I notice the stress. Sometimes the person hides the emotions very well but the small give away signs betray the outward calmness.
We always start with the parking. If you can park a car, you can drive. Anyway, why would a person want to drive in the road with heavy traffic, frustrating everybody and make life difficult for himsef and everybody else if he (or she), can do it the easy way.
The problem starts when, after being able to park nicely, we hit the road with the traffic and the taxis. Suddenly the learner loses confidence and the stress meter rise from zero to maximum.
Everything works well untill the first pull off at the first robot. For some strange reason the car stalls. For another strange reason the car will not start. And for a reason I cannot imagine why, the hooters sound like a fanfare at a happy circus.
Can you imagine what happens to the heart rate of the poor learner?
That is when a person must decide what will be best. Am I going to stand here the whole day, or am I going to calm down and focus.
Just think for a moment. Why did the car stall and why did it not want to start. Also, if you remain stressed up, the car will keep on stalling. Time will pass and so will the day. If you sit back and relax, things will work out.
The time you spent trying to get the car started, then trying to pull off without stalling again, you might as well use to pull off proper initially. Rather take a few moments longer to pull off and do it neatly, than to get uptight and try to beat the other traffic.
While driving, concentrate on what you are doing and on what you should be doing. Leave the duck and dive driving to the experienced drivers. They can see you struggle and I can guarantee they would do their utmost to get away from you. They trust your driving as little as you do.
The less you stress and the more you focus, the easier it will be to drive safely. Stress makes you stupid. Stress will make you do wrong things the wrong way.
Stop stressing and enjoy the ride. Easier said than done, but worth the try. Stress does not solve problems, it creates problems.
Happy driving. Keep it safe!
