Drive Me Crazy

Ohai Everybody!

I hope everyone has been fairing well with all these lovely weather changes. I've been super achy and I somehow managed to hurt my arm a little while ago. It should be better by morning, but still... weird.

Today was my day off from work. I spent it working on my New Year's Resolution of working on my damn driving anxieties. I had to pick up someone at a place that I am REALLY not okay with driving to. Well, it had to be done so with my grandmother and a GPS by my side I drove. Let's just say the whole thing was an experience and I'm amazed I didn't freak out. I'm absolutely petrified of getting lost,  driving in some weird place where I have no idea where I am. So what happened when we went? We got lost, naturally. Yes, even with a GPS I managed to get my ass lost... AND I had to drive on some rather unsavory and confusing roads. So yeah... that was fun... NOT -_-

I'm kinda surprised I didn't have an anxiety attack honestly. I was swearing quite a bit and obsessively fidgeting... but all things considered that's not terrible. Had I been the only person in the car it would have been a different story. I probably would have pulled over and freaked out. I just tried to put my faith in my damn GPS. It took awhile and some crazy freaking roads, but we got to our destination, early as a matter of fact. On the way home the person I picked up gave proper direction, they also involved the occasional unsavory road, but I knew that SOMEONE knew where they were going, so that helped.

In hindsight it was a mildly entertaining experience, but at the time I was freaking terrified! That being said, I'm proud of myself for driving to this demon location with it's freaking weird roads. It feels good to work on your resolutions. This is definitely a step in the right direction. Let's hope the progress doesn't end here :)

BTW, if anyone is curious, I used the "Waze" GPS app on my phone. It took me on some freaking weird ass roads, but it ultimately got me to my destination. I think I have to play around with it before I can fully trust it with on a solo trip somewhere.

Crippie's Tippie - Allow yourself extra time when driving to new places, helps factor in the whole "YOU CAN AND WILL GET LOST" thing

Crippie Discusses Her Day

Oh Hai!

AND THE AWARD FOR MOST INTERESTING POST TITLE GOES TO ME!

Moving right along, today I went to a meeting with a potential freelance client. It went rather well if I do say so myself. Apart from possibly getting freelance work... I DROVE THERE! I drove the 45 minute drive without flipping out! Granted, my mother was in the car with me (she had a meeting too) BUT I DROVE! Considering I get rather anxious driving longish drives to places that I have never been before, I am very proud of myself.

This whole getting insanely excited about a seemingly small event is a technique I use to help myself overcome this whole driving anxiety thing. It puts extra emphasis on the progress I am making and helps build my confidence, thus helping the anxiety go away. 

Another thing that made this drive soooooooo much better was that I used a GPS. My grandma recently obtained a GPS so I borrowed it today. OH MY GOD WHAT A DIFFERENCE. I am terrible with directions and I have had anxiety attacks about getting lost, missing turns, fun stuff like that. Having the GPS took away so much anxiety. I could just concentrate on the road and not have to worry about getting lost. BTW, the GPS I used is a Garmin Nuvi 1450. I highly recommend it. It's easy to use and works really well, and there is a "avoid highways" setting that makes me happy. Seriously, my grandma uses it without difficultly, THAT says something. 

Crippie's Tippie- Celebrate the living daylights out of the small victories in life. Not only is it really fun, it makes you feel really awesome.