5 ways to manage driving lesson anxiety
Published 10 October 2025
Last updated 10 October 2025
10 October marks World Mental Health Day – a global reminder of the importance of prioritising emotional wellbeing. In this blog we’ll go through 5 important ways that learner drivers can prioritise their own emotional wellbeing as they prepare for their lessons.
Nobody said learning to drive was easy. There’s getting your licence, finding an approved driving instructor (ADI) and studying for your theory test. Then there’s the time you spend behind the wheel, trying to put your book (or app or online) learning into practice.
When you start your lessons, just sitting on the driver’s side of the car for the first time can be overwhelming – and that’s before you turn the key and move off.
Our top 5 strategies
The good news is that there are plenty of strategies you can use to minimise anxiety.
- Shop around to find the right ADI for you. You’re not obliged to sign up with the first one you find in your area – speak to other people about their experiences and contact a few instructors to see what they offer. Some ADIs have specialist training in helping learners who suffer from anxiety, so do not feel afraid to reach out for more information. Remember, you can change instructors at any time if you’re not happy with them.
- If you’re just starting out, talk to your ADI about how you’re feeling. They have plenty of experience with first time students and will not expect you to know it all on the first day.
- Roads do not need to be crawling with traffic for you to find driving conditions challenging. If you start to feel nervous, anxious or overwhelmed, tell your ADI that you’re going to stop in a safe place (they’ll be able to help you) and take a break.
- Try using breathing techniques to calm your mind, reduce anxiety and manage stress. You can find out more about how to do this on the British Heart Foundation’s website.
- Finally, make sure that you have a good night’s rest before your lesson. Arriving fresh and focused will help put you in the right frame of mind for learning.
Final thoughts
We hope that this advice helps, but if you want to learn more about how to challenge anxiety and enjoy your driving, then The Official DVSA Guide to Better Driving has a section especially written for learner drivers. It’s packed full of advice to help you manage your mood and emotions, as well as plenty of practical examples of how to deal with difficult driving situations.
