License!!

Two days ago, I got my license!

It was, without a doubt, the most stressful, nervewracking, and anxiety-inducing experience of my entire summer (kind of).

We went to the DMV and waited two hours only to find out that we had to go back three hours later to take the actual road test (seriously??). So I had sat there for two whole hours, the butterflies in my stomach ready to explode, for nothing. At that point, I really just wanted to get it over with.

I know that everyone is nervous for the test. But for a person with anxiety, it's absolutely horrible. I had spent the night before convincing myself that I was ready and I just needed to do it, like pulling off a band-aid. I had read a bunch of articles about how to be prepared so I didn't mess up.

The next morning, I told my dad that I was ready and we practiced parallel parking for a little bit before leaving. That really helped me get some more confidence that I could actually do this and not fail. He told me after I took the test that he knew that I was ready for the actual driving part 100%, but he was a little worried about my parallel parking (thanks dad!). 

So when we went back, we waited a little longer and then a nice lady called up three people taking the test, including myself. That was another thing that helped me control my anxiety. Having other people in the same boat makes you feel like you aren't the only one in the world facing this. (Plus, both were really cute boys, so that helped even more.) The lady told us that we would all parallel park, one after another, and then go out with her for the driving portion. All three of us cheered eachother on. Once I got out there and I was waiting in the car, the butterflies were pretty much gone. I was feeling really confident at that point and the looming knowledge that I would have to take the test had also disappeared. It had been there while I was waiting and it was killing me.

I got a perfect on the parallel parking (told you I was ready, dad)! It was a great feeling. I got the worst part over with and all I had left to do was a five minute drive around the block. That part was a peace of cake. I made no mistakes and that really boosted my confidence as a driver in general.

Over all, the worst part of the whole ordeal was waiting. Just sitting there in that chair, waiting for them to call your name, is horrible. But once I got out there and was actually doing it, I was knew I was prepared and ready to do it. My advice for people scared about something they need to do is know that once it's over, you feel great. You just need to power through and know you won't die and it will be over soon. I've been driving everywhere lately and it is so fun to do it without an adult. It's a new freedom.

Thanks for listening,
Danielle