Taking The Rage Out Of Road Ragers
Road rage is a problem becoming more and more prevalent in our society
. As impatience and selfishness increases among the population, so does the tendency to feel like you have to be where you are going as quickly as possible.
Couple this with stress, and everyone who stands in the way of you and your destination becomes irritating, and even enough to drive you to becoming enraged. Every year, accidents are caused by this anger and impatience, and lives are lost.
Now is the time to remove this problem from our society. Now is the time to get our attitudes and stress under control. With more and more people in the world and in the workforce, roads are becoming increasingly crowded.
Inside our metal boxes, we are not always as polite as we would be to one another face-to-face, and when we are all frustrated with traffic, sometimes people make mistakes or pull impolite driving maneuvers, which can lead to anger from other frustrated drivers. This can pose a significant threat to health and safety for everyone on the road.
People experiencing this problem with inappropriate anger and impatience may be face increased health risks that come from high levels of stress, tension, and anger. These episodes of acute stress may become chronic stress, which leads to many negative health outcomes.
In addition to the toll stress takes on the "rager's" body, the increased risk of a car accident due to road rage puts all drivers at risk. By being a courteous and defensive driver, you can cut down the level of frustration you might cause other people on the road, doing your part in keeping road rage at bay.
But if you yourself experience this dangerous attitude, here are some techniques you can use to stay calm in the car. Try one or two out and see which works best for you.
Breathing exercises can help you cleanse your body of stagnant air and stale energy, getting your blood more oxygenated and, of course, releasing tension. Focusing on your breathing brings your attention inward, and makes frustrations seem more removed, without taking your focus too far away from the road.
Listen to music or audio books. Music can subtly color your experiences, adding an exciting soundtrack to your commute.
Audio books can supply you with a mild distraction that can make your drive enjoyable enough that you find annoying drivers and bumper-to-bumper traffic less frustrating. It can also cause you to forget how long your drive actually is, as you get involved in the beautiful classical scores.
Practice Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) and Deep Muscle Relaxation (DMR). When you're frustrated, you store the tension in your body.
These techniques will help you learn to quickly release the tension you're carrying, even as you sit in the car, which will help you feel more physically and emotionally relaxed. There are CDs you can buy which will walk you through these relaxation techniques and programs.
Use cognitive-behavioral interventions like Counting Idiots. Basically, if you accept that a certain amount of people are going to make fools of themselves on the road, and decide to make a game out of counting them, you can cut down on the stress you feel in response to their rude maneuvers.
This can also be a fun game to share with passengers in your car, to make the journey more pleasant for everyone. Manage your time wisely.
Often, when we are frustrated on the road, it is because we are in a hurry and cannot get there quickly enough because of traffic. Organizing your schedule so you can leave earlier, and planning for traffic, can leave you feeling more relaxed because it really will not matter as much if the trip takes a few extra minutes.
Experiment with these techniques and others you may find in books and on the internet, and you should find your driving time to be more pleasurable, and your commutes safer. After all there is no reason to become angry over something that you cannot control.
Make the world a better place by doing some deep breathing, playing a game, or even saying a prayer if you are religious. Make your next road trip an enjoyable one.
by: Jack Landry
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