Acclaim Driving Blog
Driving Test Nerves
Published: October 19th 2009
Driving Test Nerves
Loss of concentration, mind going blank, feeling sick are all symptoms of driving test nerves. Some instructors will blame lack of preparation, or readiness but many will know of competent drivers going to pieces under the stress of the examination. Will more lessons really be the answer? Yes, more practice can help but not if they stay in this panicked frame of mind.
A main part of being a driving instructor is to teach students to respond to hazards, to cut down risks, to anticipate and take appropriate action. If anticipation is key to success, why not teach students to remain in control of their nerves, so they can demonstrate their capabilities to their best.
As a psychotherapist, Christine Pirrie knows these symptoms are the
same performance anxiety that actors or athletes encounter, and just like them, to be successful, students can learn to train their mind. Many of us will have encountered this problem to various degrees: during school exams, before an interview etc... We know the subject but just mentioning the word ‘test’ and our mind goes blank...Just saying ‘Relax! You’ll be ok!’ is not going to do the trick. How can you relax when your stomach is in knots, your heart is racing and
you’re shaking all over?!
Our logical brain wants us to stay calm and focused during a test but if our
unconscious mind perceives a "threat", it will do all it can to stop us going there! Our brain then sends out a clear signal: “Get me out of here!” It activates an alarm system called the Fight or Flight Response. (You either face the danger and fight or run away to safety). It’s an automatic survival reaction handed down from our cavemen ancestors, which changes us at the physiological level. This Stress reaction may be great when confronting a Sabre-toothed tiger…but it’s not so useful when trying to pass the driving test.
Here is an interesting list of what happens during this unconscious Fight or Flight
reaction:
• Blood drains from the Neo-Cortex, the thinking brain, to go to the back brain,
the survival centre. The result is loss of memory, mind going blank…like
failing to remember to check mirrors etc
• Blood leaves the stomach, because in time of danger your digestion is not a
priority! This explains the ‘Butterfly’ feelings or nausea.
• It goes instead to the arms and legs, to fight or run. Leaving you shaky. No
good for precise movements while attempting parallel parking!
• The heart pumps harder, altering breathing. It is difficult to concentrate while
light-headed: How could you see that cyclist when you were too busy catching
your breath?
• The pupils in the eyes dilate for peripheral vision, as you are scanning the
environment for ‘danger’, which means you can’t focus on the road ahead or
make sense of the road sign or even see that red light!
• The muscles tighten up, ready for action, with tension in the neck and
shoulder, making it impossible to relax.
So now that we know why it’s happening...What can we do to prevent it? How to reprogram our brain to remain calm and focused when “under threat”?
1. We need to learn to relax To be in a state of relaxation is the opposite to being in a state of stress:
Stress activates the SYMPATHETIC nervous system; it revs up adrenaline and
cortisol. Relaxation activates the PARA-SYMPATHETIC nervous system which
releases Endorphins, the body natural tranquilisers. They neutralise the damaging effect of stress hormones and regulate breathing, release muscle tension, improve concentration, memory and focus.
2. We need to re-program our brain
While in a relaxed state, we can mentally rehearse a situation. This mental
rehearsing has been well studied with sport people. However, positive affirmations like “I am calm, confident etc...” are not enough. If we’ve panicked on the day or are worried sick about the test, this is what is being stored at the unconscious level. The unconscious is programmed to make decisions similar to what is already in its data base! It replays automatically the same reactions for the same signals. It just repeats what’s on the tape!! If we keep focusing on feeling scared and out of control, we are rehearsing this exact mental pattern…and this is what we’ll get on the day! So, if we teach our brain to feel
calm and focused...then… this is also what we’ll get!
A most efficient way to do this is using Hypnosis. By re-programming our brain to
remain calm when "under threat", we de-activate the negative effects of Fight or
Flight mode and 'anchor' feelings of control and relaxation while driving.
Our brain is like a Sat Nav, this device where we punch in where we want to go and it takes us there. What we must remember is that we need to program in where we WANT to go...Not where we DON’T want to end up! You don’t go shopping with a list of things you don’t want! By knowing how the brain works, you can de-activate old associations of panic and anxiety, and replace them with new data. It won’t turn a bad driver into a good one overnight! But it will allow good drivers to remain in full possession of all their resources.
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