Finally got my license at 30 years old!!

As a teen I was never taught to drive by anyone in my family and I feel like that was prime learning for me, when my brain didn’t have that fear factor.

Fast forward to adulthood and I gained a debilitating fear of driving. Just visualizing myself driving while in the passenger seat was enough to send me into a panic. It was deeply humiliating for me to have this anxiety because driving is a necessity where I live, which is a very rural area with absolutely no public transportation. I felt like a burden to friends and family.

At around 28 I started getting pissed off at myself lol. Like X person can drive and I CAN’T? X person is 80 and driving and I CAN’T??? etc. And I was really wasting my potential by not being able to attend events or go places or make new connections. I was digging myself a depression hole with no opportunity to grow and make friends or memories. And by not having these experiences it truly felt like I was socially and emotionally stunting myself.

I eventually took the writing test and gained a permit, all thanks to a friend from school days who came to visit. And when she heard I didn’t even have a learners she was like “We’re going next week.”

Then when I was 29 I slowly started driving. It was baby steps at first: Drive to the end of the driveway and back, Drive around neighborhood and back, Drive to work using empty backroads and avoid left turns, Drive to work taking left turns for the first time, etc. I owe a lot to my mom, she was incredibly patient with me.

A few days ago I finally felt “good” enough to take the road test and I passed first try!!

I honestly don’t have much advice except that as awful as it is to say, exposure therapy is genuinely crucial and necessary. The only way out is through. I still have mild anxiety with driving! Unprotected left turns make me nervous. Heavy traffic makes me nervous. It’s a constant battle.

Anyway, I am incredibly happy and don’t really any anyone to tell. Their reaction would basically be “You should’ve done that 14 years ago.”