I went to uni for five years and at the end of each year, when summer break finally came I never felt liberated or light. I felt empty. My days and weeks were full of exam prep and work and suddenly, there was nothing. My brain went “Now what?” everytime. Give it a few days.
Congratulations! If you feel you need further tip on safe driving habits I would start with
- Assume that everyone else on the road is a total maniac who doesn’t know what they’re doing.
- Don’t drive faster than is safe for current road conditions (rain, ice, fog)
- If you see a bunch of car taillights light up ahead of you, slow down! There’s a reason why they’re all doing that.
- Check out youtube videos like, “Idiots in cars.” There are plenty of examples there of what NOT to do. :)
- Drive in a predictable manner, don’t assume anyone else is doing that.
- Don’t be nice by letting someone go out of turn, or waiving someone through when your are supposed to be going, or by forfeiting your right-of-way. It goes back to the first bullet point or driving predictably.
- zipper merging is a critical skill, learn it and use it.
- driving slowly is not safer if everyone around you is driving quickly but like you said, drive only as quickly as road conditions and your skill allows. When in doubt, go with the flow of the other cars around you unless you feel unsafe doing so.
- I am not sure of where you live or what side of the road you drive on but dear god, learn where the passing lane is and what the etiquette for it is.
- a bad driver never misses a turn is an expression for a reason. Don’t be unpredictable, if you are gonna miss your turn/exit, just go around and catch a u-turn. Its not the end of the world.
- spend money on the parts that let you steer and stop. Both are safety critical, don’t be a cheepskate on safety stuff.
- don’t drive like my brother
I am not sure of where you live or what side of the road you drive on but dear god, learn where the passing lane is and what the etiquette for it is.
Would add that it is not good to stay in the left-most lane on the interstate if you aren’t passing. If someone is going faster than you are while in that lane, move out of it. So many slow folks and/or big trucks love to just stay in the left lane for no reason. Obviously there are moments that make it impossible. Like when all lanes are filled due to construction, or due to those cascade waves of stand-still traffic cause by folks doing that sudden jumps from one side to the other because of missing exits or whatever.
And…
Learn the car you’re driving. There’s so many different makes, models, sizes, engines, brakes, transmission, tires. Just because you can do something in one car don’t mean you can drive another car the same way.
Congratulations! The fact you passed is a testament that you are comfortable enough behind the wheel to be trusted with driving a vehicle independently. But it really is more a milestone than an end-goal, what you do with that from here is up to you. You could choose never to drive again but still renew your license every 5 years.
If you’re in the area (Vancouver, Canada), we could hold a “Mike Hunt passes their driving test” two-person celebratory parade.
I get the feeling of working hard and then being exhausted and emotionally drained afterward, but I’d be very interested to know what you were expecting out of all of this.
It’s normal for me. I tend to aim myself at a goal believing everything will be different once I get it, but most things remain the same.
Driving is largely a chore. Now you’re qualified to perform the chore. I think your feel is completely understandable.
It used to be a chore for me. I hated it. Now it’s some alone time to listen to my audiobook uninterrupted.
I think that maybe you should look at as your earned your ability. It’s deserved. Each and every attempt you persevered.
Some people do it first time. Some people take 10. Don’t compare. Just be proud of all the extra things you can do now.
Yeah it’s pretty normal as other people have said. Also, at least for me, it took me a while behind the wheel after passing my driving test (plus the practice and instructions that I had before the test) to get comfortable driving in traffic, turning left at stop lights, etc. So it’s unrealistic to expect simply passing the test to turn you into a confident driver. Just stay safe out there and your comfort zone should grow over time.
What seems to be causing this empty feeling inside? What is it, exactly, that you’re feeling empty about?
Gas tank is empty, obviously.
/s
🤷
Passing a driving test in the US is usually one of the first accomplishments of becoming an adult, which makes it notable, but not necessarily big.
we’re missing a lot of context, like what failures (were they driving test related)?
and yeah, it’s not uncommon to feel unsatisfied or even numb when you accomplish something you have worked towards for a long time - but that’s OK, you can work on appreciating and contextualizing your accomplishment. Try journaling and reflecting in your writing on the work you did to get here. Also consider celebrating or finding a way to mark the occasion and give it the significance you were hoping for.
Sometimes you have to play a more active role in framing your own life events.
Agreed, sometimes we get caught-up in ideas of these things that we are told are “major” events. But don’t really calm down to what is after them. Like finishing school (any level) feels like it will just “be” the answer, but then the structure is gone and then there isn’t a firm predictable path to follow. Just left with the feeling of “now what do I do?” Or the realization of how quickly dull/mundane it is after the initial goal is met.
I remember how excited I was to learn how to use my dad’s riding mower was (both because it was something to drive around and seemed like an “adult” task), but then I just became the one that had to mow. But I have found it kind of a great time to listen to books. So I now look forward to it (most of the time), because it is uninterrupted time to listen to them. No distractions aside from like the bagger getting stopped-up.
