Hello to you all, i am a 57 year old married male & it possibly sounds ridiculous but i get really anxious & nervous about driving somewhere new that is out of my comfort zone & strange to me with fears of getting lost, having an accident, breaking down, taking the wrong motorway exit etc etc etc.
i have driven for 29 years & this is something that i have always had which is crazy, tomorrow for example i am driving from Nottingham to West Midlands Safari Park which is roughly 85 miles away with the wife, my Daughter & 3 grand children are travelling with her in their own car & already since yesterday i am really anxious, nervous, irritable & feeling quite drained, im worrying about rush hour traffic, going the wrong way, getting lost in the middle of Birmingham et etc etc.
i am going to make the journey even though im dreading it for the fear of letting the family down which would make me feel absolutely awful to be honest, its a stupid situation because i drive for a living within the 30 mile radius that i live in working outside for the council using a flat bed truck & have no problems at all because its in my comfort zone you see.
i have driven to Yorkshire & Cornwall before but was an absolute nervous wreck gripping the steering wheel as though the world depended on it & then when i arrive at these places i generally wonder what the fuss was all about but the journey itself was awful, a sat nav has made things a little more comfortable but not a great deal because i panic that it will send me the wrong way, i just cant seem to get on top of this problem at all.
i have not & do not want to confide this to anyone as i feel damn useless & stupid hence me coming on hear to see if anyone else suffers like i do.
would really appreciate some advice &/or support on this phobia as it is getting me down, im actually panicking about the journey tomorrow as i type this message, please respond if you can as any help would be greatfully appreciated........many thanks......andy