If you’re struggling with driving it’s quite normal to give yourself a hard time over it. Everyone does it and in all sorts of situations, not just driving. We can be our worst critic and can actually be quite unforgiving at times. Learning to be more compassionate to ourselves helps in a couple of ways. Firstly, we have a more enjoyable and happier driving experience, and secondly, we can overcome challenges with greater ease. When we get frustrated or upset about how we’re driving, and really give ourselves an ear full, we can get stuck in this idea that we can’t do...

09 June, 2021 /

Do you react to situations, or do you respond? First off it’s probably a good idea to define the two and then see which you more closely associate with. I heard a driving examiner tell a learner once that they were reacting to situations rather than acting on what they can see ahead of them. This was their way of politely telling the learner that they needed to plan ahead more. But for me I found it a very effective way of explaining the difference between reacting and responding. REACTING is when a situation develops and you react out of impulse and habit,...

05 May, 2021 /

This month as part of Stress Awareness Month and World Health Day, registered Nutritional Therapist, Fiona Coleman, speaks to us about the simple lifestyle steps we can take daily to build resilience ready to deal with anything that we encounter on our drive.   Do you feel stressed as a driver? Does the thought of getting in the car and driving to the office leave your neck muscles feeling tense? Is there a certain tricky junction you have worrying thoughts about or perhaps driving on the motorway leaves you feeling rushed and slightly fearful. Know that you are not alone. But did...

07 April, 2021 /

If you’re feeling nervous about driving it is only natural to sit there and try and think your way out of it. We may try to logically explain away any fears, replace them with reasonable reasons why we shouldn’t be scared and then try and force ourselves to feel better about it. The problem is this doesn’t always work. A more effective way to resolve fearful thinking is to just take our attention off it and place it on something soothing, something grounding. Something that is always there and easily accessible to us, like our breath. Our breath is an ever present...

10 March, 2021 /

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...

10 February, 2021 /

Every January 1st we see in a new year by drawing a line under the year before, saying goodbye to what has been and welcoming in new possibilities. But what gives this specific date such importance? How can 1 out of 365 days in the year be so powerful? We make it so through way of our intention. In reality, the 1st on January is just the day after the 31st of December, the same as the 15th of May follows the 14th, or 23rd September follows the 22nd. Nothing much has changed in the space of one night, but because we have...

06 January, 2021 /

With such a big emphasis on 'giving' at this time of year it's worth remembering why it is a beneficial practice all year round and can actually help create a safer driving environment. I bet we can all picture a situation on the road where we've felt mistreated by another driver, rider, cyclist or even pedestrian. Maybe we felt they were in the wrong, or possibly we felt threatened or under attack, rushed or pressured to act quickly? Now, in these situations it is quite normal to feel like the victim and to blame the other person for what they've done....

07 December, 2020 /

Until recently my training car had sign writing on it with my name and number very clearly displayed. This meant that if I did anything that might be considered not right I would run the risk of getting a disgruntled phone call or possibly a bad review on social media from a member of the public, which as a driver trainer wouldn’t be great. I enjoy following the rules of the road and get satisfaction out of driving correctly, so this has never been a problem. However, just recently I changed my car and at least for the meantime it has...

06 July, 2019 /

For a lot of people driving can be a chore or something that they fear because of how busy, and at times angry, the roads are. But there are simple steps you can take today to reduce these effects and increase your enjoyment and safety while driving. On the ‘Mindful Driving: an introduction’ workshop we look at a multitude of different ways you can do this and I take you through a deeper understanding of the techniques, but here are 3 quick and easy ways you can start practicing today that will change your driving experience for the better:   Remove distractions Our cars...

21 March, 2019 /

Traffic is just part of life on the road and I think it is safe to say that the majority of us don’t look forward to it. The idea of sitting still in a queue of cars while the clock ticks by can seem like a waste of time. In fact, we could probably list numerous reasons why we don’t like it. However, is there a positive side we might be overlooking? And if there is, how would it change our experience if we chose to focus on the pros instead of the cons? Here are 7 reasons I like sitting...

26 February, 2019 /