Author and therapist Anna Williamson has opened up on her own experiences with driving anxiety as she shared some top tips to help others who may be in a similar position
Do you struggle with driving anxiety?
If so, a therapist’s top tips could be just what you need to help combat the issue and ensure safer journeys in the future. Anna Williamson, known for her presenting role on CITV and as a dating agent on E4’s Celebs Go Dating, is also a therapist who has personally battled general anxiety disorder and panic disorder.
“Driving anxiety is extremely common, but is 100% something that can be improved with some work,” she explained in a caption accompanying her TikTok video on the topic. She went on to say: “If you have driving anxiety you are most probably spending an enormous amount of time planning your journey in intricate detail and therefore over-stressing about it.”
While this might provide short-term relief, knowing you’ve planned ahead, Anna warns you’re actually creating “even more potential anxiety by putting all the massive, unrealistic expectations in place”.
“You’re planning petrol breaks, snack breaks – you’re over-planning to try and ensure every possible risk has been noted,” Anna cautioned. “And instead of a journey being straightforward, it becomes massively over-complicated – laden with to-dos, laden with things that may or may not happen, and the whole experience just becomes really, really stressful.”
Take ‘baby steps’
“This is really important,” Anna shared. “We need to decrease the amount of intricate planning we need to do before we set off.”
She recommends: “The key is baby steps – have a think about a manageable journey that you can do that requires minimal planning and is very familiar to you, such as the school run or going to the local supermarket. You’re used to that – so test yourself by going and doing that journey without planning anything about it.”
Celebrate your achievements
Following on from her advice on short journeys, Anna says you should take the time to congratulate yourself on a job well done. “Get safely from A to B – and when you get to B, the key is to celebrate the fact you’ve done it,” she enthused.
“Actually take a pause, and say to yourself, ‘Well done’. Take a deep breath and congratulate yourself for having done that journey without having to do all that pre-planning.”
Build on those achievements
Now that you have “evidence” that you can indeed do the thing successfully that was previously “really scary”, Anna emphasises using that knowledge as “motivation” going forward.
“We can now try that next journey,” she closed. “Go that little bit further. The more we keep trying, the more we keep reducing the to-do list before we’ve left – and in no time at all – the hope is, and there’s every possible chance, you could be driving to Timbuctoo with not a care in the world.”
While taking in the advice, drivers were quick to share the reasons behind their anxiety. “Menopause is my biggest reason I have driving anxiety,” one TikTok user said. “Sat nav is a back up, helps me with anxiety in case diverted. Long distance is my biggest [fear] and not knowing where I’m going.”
Another revealed: “My fear is motorways when cars do not move over and I feel pressured adjusting my speed to slot in nicely… Oh and thin country lanes at 60.” A third added: “My driving anxiety is at night because of the bright led lights on new cars. So bright I’m worried I will crash one day.”
Taking in Anna’s advice, however, a fourth hailed: “I get this. I drove a two-hour motorway trip last week to see my daughter. Was planning every eventuality in my head for a week before I went. It was fine! Even enjoyable. I congratulated myself too!”