Category: Let's talk
I lost my eyesight almost five years ago. I received mobility training and have been up and down the streets on my own for almost two years. But I haven't been able to shake the fear of a car running me over. At times when cars skid or honk or are traveling too fast I shake with fear, expecting the car to hit me. I know that I feel this way because I can't see what the damn car is doing. I'm getting tired of being afraid whenever I'm out on the street by myself. I don't know if this is just a phobia that will go away in time. Do any of you guys struggle with this? Did you ever struggle with this? Will it go away anytime soon?
Sometimes I get scared, especially on busy streets with advanced lights. But I find usually, a busy street has many pedestrians, so I follow their lead when I can. Sometimes it is scary when cars aren't obeying the rules of the road, but I live two blocks from one of the busiest streets in the city, right off a major highway, and I realize that cars are going to do what they're going to do... follow your training, and you'll be fine...
Honking is annoying, though, I must admit
I don't know if I'll ever adjust to my total vision loss and feel comfortable traveling alone. I wasn't a bit scared when I had usable vision, but I hate traffic now. I avoid going places, especially downtown or busy traffic areas, by myself if at all possible.
So call me a coward.
That's not good news! I'm going to have to deal with these fears for the rest of my life? What the heck will become of my nerves? Oh well, I guess I'd better come face to face with my fears and just do battle! What else can I do? If I die, I die...
I used to have those fears. For me I just got over them with lots of practice, facing them, and realizing as long as I did things the way I'm supposed to, that's all I can do. I'm not sure that's much help to you, but it's simply what I had to do.
Well, I'll say this up front" its gonna sound like I'm talking out of boths dies of my mouth here. My first thought is to agree with Crazy Musician and Singer of Songs. There really isn't an easy way to get over this but to just do it. I think of it as like being a policeman in that if you let your fears rule your life, you probably wouldn't get outside at all. Like Becky, my eyesight has changed over the years and surgeries that backfired. I have a little light perception now, and that's about it. My hearing has gotten worse, and there are streets that I cross by myself, that I probably shouldn't. I come back to my training, and that's honestly what gets me through it. Am I scared? Yeah! The fear keeps me from getting overly confident, though. There are lots of us pulling for you. Good luck!
Lou
Raskolnikov, just because I'm a coward, doesn't mean you will never get over the fear. And, just because I try to avoid traveling alone, there are times when I have no choice, and I have gotten through it without bodily injury. So it can be done, and I know plenty of blind people who have no fear at all. Bottom line - we're all different.
It's a fear I have too. I travel alone when I have to like to bus stops and so on. We have a street in our city called high Street and the traffic is terrible
Troy