For some a love of driving comes naturally, but for others, not so much. Fear, anxiety, stress, frustration, and a variety of other negative thoughts and emotions can arise just from the mere prospect of driving. With so much pressure it can feel near impossible to even get in the car sometimes, let alone start the engine and drive off. However, there are things you can do to shift yourself towards enjoying and even loving your drive: 1)      Get to know your car There’s nothing quite like unfamiliar territory to rattle nerves and increase stress. Get to know your car by just...

10 February, 2021 /

Every January 1st we see in a new year by drawing a line under the year before, saying goodbye to what has been and welcoming in new possibilities. But what gives this specific date such importance? How can 1 out of 365 days in the year be so powerful? We make it so through way of our intention. In reality, the 1st on January is just the day after the 31st of December, the same as the 15th of May follows the 14th, or 23rd September follows the 22nd. Nothing much has changed in the space of one night, but because we have...

06 January, 2021 /

With such a big emphasis on 'giving' at this time of year it's worth remembering why it is a beneficial practice all year round and can actually help create a safer driving environment. I bet we can all picture a situation on the road where we've felt mistreated by another driver, rider, cyclist or even pedestrian. Maybe we felt they were in the wrong, or possibly we felt threatened or under attack, rushed or pressured to act quickly? Now, in these situations it is quite normal to feel like the victim and to blame the other person for what they've done....

07 December, 2020 /

Until recently my training car had sign writing on it with my name and number very clearly displayed. This meant that if I did anything that might be considered not right I would run the risk of getting a disgruntled phone call or possibly a bad review on social media from a member of the public, which as a driver trainer wouldn’t be great. I enjoy following the rules of the road and get satisfaction out of driving correctly, so this has never been a problem. However, just recently I changed my car and at least for the meantime it has...

06 July, 2019 /

For a lot of people driving can be a chore or something that they fear because of how busy, and at times angry, the roads are. But there are simple steps you can take today to reduce these effects and increase your enjoyment and safety while driving. On the ‘Mindful Driving: an introduction’ workshop we look at a multitude of different ways you can do this and I take you through a deeper understanding of the techniques, but here are 3 quick and easy ways you can start practicing today that will change your driving experience for the better:   Remove distractions Our cars...

21 March, 2019 /

Traffic is just part of life on the road and I think it is safe to say that the majority of us don’t look forward to it. The idea of sitting still in a queue of cars while the clock ticks by can seem like a waste of time. In fact, we could probably list numerous reasons why we don’t like it. However, is there a positive side we might be overlooking? And if there is, how would it change our experience if we chose to focus on the pros instead of the cons? Here are 7 reasons I like sitting...

26 February, 2019 /

This time of year a lot of emphasis is put on good will to others. Sharing love with family and friends, supporting those less fortunate and giving what we can to charities. Love, support and giving are all truly important values and we, as a society, and as humankind, benefit greatly by applying these to our day-to-day lives throughout the year. How can we live these values while driving? How do we show love to those drivers who don’t appear to care about others? It all comes down to our thoughts. If we watch our minds and notice our judgements of...

18 December, 2018 /

The Christmas shopping period is well underway as people flock to the streets to buy gifts for their loved ones. I’ve started to notice an increase in the number of cars in the city centre during the evenings, with long queues stretching up the motorway. But what does this volume of traffic do to us? One effect is a sense of running behind, leading us to feel like we need to rush. We see this in the shops as people hurry to get around the crowds and finish as quickly as possible. We also see this on the roads before and...

10 December, 2018 /

Every year advent calendars help us countdown the days until Christmas. It’s a fun way to look forward to the holidays for children and adults alike. However, this countdown mentality isn’t just a festive activity, but a daily occurrence throughout our lives, with watches, alarms, countdown apps and calendar reminders. How often do you find yourself counting down the days to a holiday, the hours to the end of a working day, or the minutes leading up to an important call or meeting? Clock watching is systemic in our culture with an emphasis on goals, deadlines and punctuality. There is...

03 December, 2018 /

Moving into the winter months in the UK it’s likely we’ll have some wet and windy weather. This may not make for the most ideal driving conditions as it becomes harder to see and adds more things to think about, sometimes in an already busy situation. The wipers wave about like an impatient child trying to get your attention and the wind buffers the car and hurries people across the road in front of you at the last moment. It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas shopping in the city centre where people are darting around and there is...

27 November, 2018 /