10 Feb 5 Ways to Love Driving

For some a love of driving comes naturally, but for others, not so much.

Fear, anxiety, stress, frustration, and a variety of other negative thoughts and emotions can arise just from the mere prospect of driving. With so much pressure it can feel near impossible to even get in the car sometimes, let alone start the engine and drive off.

However, there are things you can do to shift yourself towards enjoying and even loving your drive:

1)      Get to know your car

There’s nothing quite like unfamiliar territory to rattle nerves and increase stress. Get to know your car by just sitting in it and taking in what you see. How does it feel to sit in your car? What do you notice about the shapes, patterns and textures? Where are the controls for wiping and demisting the windows, turning the various lights on, adjusting the seating position, setting the mirrors, opening the fuel cap, opening the bonnet, adjusting the steering wheel position, and so on, and so on.

Maybe you can find all these things and more just by looking for them. Or maybe you get the car manual out, or do a Google search, and find out a load more things you didn’t even know were there. However you decide to discover your car, do it with curiosity! Approach it as if you’ve never seen a car before and ask questions about what things are, what they do and how.

Exploring your car in this way will build an understanding that will put you more at ease when you’re driving. It also helps you feel more connected to the vehicle and less disconnected from the idea of driving it.

2)      Personalise your car

Put your own stamp on it, make it unique to you. Some of the first things I did when I got my first car back when I was 21 was I got new floor mats and a new gear stick knob. Not that there was anything wrong with what there was already, but it felt like I’d made my car a bit more ‘MY’ car.

This sense of ownership helps to develop a kind of bond, which is just another positive experience to connect to driving.

3)      Find something to love about driving

We have a tendency to focus on, and remember, the negative and stressful so that we can learn to avoid similar undesirable situations in the future. This is nobody’s fault, it just seems to be the way the primitive part of our brains likes to function.  However, when we get swept up in this stressful thinking we completely miss the positives in life.

Choose to focus your attention on the parts of driving you love.

Maybe it’s the starting of the engine, the moving of the steering wheel, or even something as simple as the ‘CLICK’ as the seat belt slots in. You see, it doesn’t matter how small it may seem, if you shift your attention onto what you enjoy, love and look forward to when driving, it will put you in a more positive mindset before you even get in the car. Then your head is in a much better position to deal with the things you are less keen on.

It’s not about removing the hard parts of driving, but rather mentally preparing yourself for them. Make a list and remind yourself of the things you love about driving before you get in the car.

4)      Doing the things you love

What does driving allow you to do? Where do you get to go? Who do you get to see more of? Similar to the previous point, reminding ourselves about all the good things we get to do, places we get to visit, and people we get to be with as a result of driving can help to switch us into a more positive mindset. This then builds positive associations and resilience.

Driving isn’t just about driving. It’s about exploring the countryside. It’s about feeding your family. It’s about educating your children. It’s about having a holiday. It’s about seeing a friend or family member get married. It’s about making happy memories.

Focus on love and build resilience.

5)      Make it about someone else

Make your drive about helping someone else and not just something for you. For example, drive to the shops to pick up food for your family. Drive to work for your clients so they can benefit from your service. Drive to school for your children so that they can see their friends, learn and develop. Drive to a beach or the woods for your dog so they can run around and play.

When we make what we do about someone else, when we make helping someone else the main goal, then we feel motivated to do it and get satisfaction once it’s done.

There will be other ways you can build positive associations with your car and the act of driving, and I bet if you sit down with a friend and talk about what those ways may be you could come up with an even bigger list to try.

Remember to be curious, stay playful and look for the good in things. And if you want any help with that you can always book a FREE call so we can discuss it.