Anxiety, Leaving the House & Driving

When I first passed my driving test I was adamant that I would be one of those mums that go on days out all the time & make the most of my car but now that I am in my second year of driving & now that it’s pretty much winter again, I haven’t been out as much as I would have liked. Not only that I have been suffering badly with anxiety & it seems to have stopped me from doing a lot of things. I have started to look for upcoming events and write them down on the calendar with the intention that we may attend. We have also been looking online for car insurance quotes for if and when my partner starts learning to drive in my car, this would be good as I do get quite nervous at times & I like the thought of my partner being able to take over the wheel if I get too tired so when I found an e-book about driving by Chill Insurance it inspired me to carry on with my adventures & get out of the house.

One of my favourite places in the world is Cornwall, it is a place that I spent a lot of my holidays as a child and a place where I have some of my happiest memories with my Grandad. We still to this day call him ‘Grandad Cornwall’ & I would love to take Alyssia to some of the beautiful beaches we visited as children. I have so many amazing memories & remember adventuring in all types of weather. One day we were on holiday camping in torrential rain & everything got soaked, we had to pack everything up & stay at my Grandad’s bungalow which was luckily nearby. I remember going to the beach in the scorching sun & being smothered in sun cream. We would take the camper van everywhere & make beans on toast and cups of tea in the middle of no where. It was honestly amazing & I would love to let my own children experience something like that.

Now that it’s coming up to winter, I’m starting to think about layering up & getting out and about. Alyssia’s new coat & boots have arrived and it’s time to go and explore, right? I don’t see why not. I have started keeping a blanket in the car & a can of de-icer just in case we ever need it. I’m always worried that we’ll break down or get stuck in the middle of nowhere one day so it’s best to be prepared, oh and always make sure you have fuel or some cash on you (just in case) – top mama tips.

I like to plan our days out just so that we can all be ready & know in advance so it doesn’t make anyone anxious but sometimes I feel like the spontaneous ‘lets go out somewhere’ trips are the best. A few times now we have got in the car & said ‘right let’s go to the beach’ there was no ‘which beach?’ it’s literally whatever turning we take & wherever we end up. As a child I remember my grandad always taking me to a pub for a quick J20 and a packet of cheese and onion crisps, but when we got in the car he would say ‘left or right’ we would choose one and we would play a game. My Grandad would drive & drive until we found a pub, if it was on the right when we had chosen left, we would keep driving until once came up on the left hand side of the road. It was so much fun & always makes me laugh, although I’m sure I remember him turning the car around once as we had driven for so long with pubs on our right that he made sure that this pub magically came up on our left. I have some amazing memories.

But going back to just ‘getting in the car and going’ we are lucky to have a few beaches near us & it’s nice to be able to just go & visit whenever we want. I think people forget that the beach and the parks aren’t just for the Summer season, as long as you are wrapped up warm & have everything you need, both are quite nice in the winter too. I think people seem to forget that you can just get in the car & go, as long as you’ve got fuel and car insurance.. go for it, get out of the house, go to the beach in the rain, and have some fun because you only live once and its important to live it how you want to.

*This post is in collaboration with Chill.ie