Travel Phobia and Fear Of Driving

Travel phobia is a particular form of anxiety that may occur after a person has been involved in some kind of accident, maybe a road or rail crash. They may have escaped physically unscathed from the incident, however they might well have perceived it as a potential threat to their well being, physical health or indeed life.

Anyone suffering from travel phobia is likely to avoid travelling as much as is possible. If forced to travel by car, they are likely to prefer to be in control of the car, rather than be a passenger. During the journey they will be perpetually alert, scanning the road for potential accident causing situations. By the time they arrive at their destination, they are often irritable, tense and exhausted. This only serves to reinforce the phobic response.

Some individuals will refuse to even travel by car, bus or rail despite the drastic upheaval this will cause in their day-to-day lives. This avoidance is one of the reasons phobias are maintained as the sufferer is not exposed to the situations they fear and therefore cannot come to terms with their phobia.

Fear of driving or Hodophobia can be triggered by a variety of different factors and can manifest itself as anything from mild nervousness to an incapacitating full-blown panic attack. These responses are learned behaviours and they are all highly treatable.

Some people are simply terrified of even being in a car, whether driving themselves or being driven by others. Perhaps they once had a panic or anxiety attack while driving and suffer under the perpetual fear that it will happen again. On the other hand, they may fear that other drivers are going to lose control.

Many drivers feel comfortable driving on familiar roads, close to where they live for example, but grow scared that they might lose control in unfamiliar territory. Others may be happy to drive on ordinary roads but have a fear of driving on motorways or dual carriageways.

There are also those who are afraid of getting caught in heavy traffic, or driving at night or in difficult weather (sleet, snow or fog) or of driving down narrow lanes. 

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Do Your Self-Realizations Quickly Fade?

As we grow, we do so in fits and starts, lurching forward then back, sometimes looking more like clowns than seekers.

Winston Churchill wrote: "Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on as though nothing has happened." 

We humans, in searching for success and happiness, have several great loves. One is the love of discovering new things. New places... new people... new ideas... they fascinate us. 

We also love finding new ways to solve problems. If we've been suffering the indignities and inconveniences of a long-standing problem, we have an unquenchable urge to find what's causing the discomfort and fix it. 

Unfortunately, an equally strong drive within our psyche is the compulsion to keep things from changing. 

We love variety and change, but we also love predictability. When things start shifting in our world, we get uncomfortable; uncertain; unsure what to do next. 

So with our left foot we strike out to seek change, while at the same time our right foot drags along behind us, trying with all its might to remain planted in one spot. 

Often, as Churchill points out, we unquestioningly follow that urge to maintain status quo. Why? Well, it's the same reason we continue to do anything automatically -- habit. 

Then how do we break the grip of habit? How do we escape the gravity well of inertia? 

It's the same way we change any habit. 

First step: become acutely aware of what we're doing. No habit can operate properly when we draw back the curtains of inattention. 

Have you had a realization about yourself or the way you live your life? Maybe you don't want to let it drift away and become lost to you, the same way countless realizations have done before. 

Then make a big production of it. Fasten your attention on it. Roll it around in your mind, play with it and explore the implications. 

Don't let old habits rob you of the treasure you've found. 

And that's exactly how you can stop yourself from stumbling over a truth and then continuing on as though it never happened. 

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"How Great is the Strength of Your Belief?"

Be careful what you believe because that is what you will experience. Your belief system is a mechanism which is uniquely yours. It is powered by your desire and controlled by your thoughts and actions. In other words, your success is measured by the strength of your belief. 

What is it that you desire? Often people do not have a clue what it is they want, they just know what they do not want. Now is a good time to evaluate your goals and determine the end result you want to achieve. Put your goals in writing and place them where you can see them throughout the day. Read them frequently to keep them fresh on your mind. 

• Be inquisitive. Research and learn as much as you can on how you can achieve your goal. Use all possible resources such as books, CDs, courses and people. Yes, people. Talk to as many people as possible who are already successful in what you want to achieve. Ask, ask and ask some more about what they did to reach success. Do not limit your contacts to only the people you already know. Introduce yourself by phone or mail, explain your purpose for contacting them and ask for a tip. The worst thing that can happen is that they ignore you. The best thing that can happen is that they become your mentor and offer support andencouragement. Chances are you will receive at least one great tip from many of the people you contact. This method is the least expensive and most rewarding. 

• Be unique. Next, take the ideas you learn, embellish them and come up with your own creative process. Think of how you can approach your goal in a way that no one else has. Dare to be different. Don't be afraid to take risks. What do you have to loose? Write out a list showing the worst things that could happen and then list all of the best possible outcomes. Always maintain your concentration on your desired result.


• Be better than your competition. When you were a child and saw your older siblings or friends riding a bike (without training wheels), you didn't look at their scraped knees and elbows and say, "Whoa, I could get hurt doing that." Instead, you begged to try it for yourself. With a great deal of practice and often pain, you gradually learned how to maintain your balance. Before long you were trying to "out do" your friends with your speed or fancy tricks. When you fell, you would get back on and try again with even greater determination. From your very first effort, you believed in your mind that if you got back on, you would eventually learn to ride. I bet you even knew in your mind you would be the best in the neighborhood, in your school, in the state, in the world!

• Be positive. If you see obstacles before you, then you will also only see problems. If you have hesitations that you plan will not work, then it will not work. If you are influenced by the power of negative people, then you will never be any better than they are. Believe in yourself and what you are capable of achieving.

When your desire to succeed is stronger than the pain, fear or frustration of failing, there is no turning back. I challenge you to view your goals just like you did when you were a child before you learned about self doubt and negative criticism. Remember, anything is possible as long as you believe. Make a commitment that you will not let anything or anyone, including yourself stand in your way of reaching your goals. 

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