Ah, road rage the dreaded thing that happens to most drivers when they are on the road. There is no shame in admitting that you have had a bout with road rage at some point during your driving career. However, the problem begins to arise when you notice that road rage is affecting your driving to the point that other people feel uncomfortable being in the same vehicle as you. Another sign that you could really have a problem is if your road rage actually causes you (or someone else) to become involved in a motor vehicle accident.
There are plenty of things that make each of us angry. From cutting each other off in traffic to failing to use your turn signal and turning at the last minute it seems that each of us can think up any litany of excuses as to why we cannot stand other drivers. However, have you stopped to take a moment to think about how your driving has been lately? How often do you switch lanes without using your turn signals? What about that red light that you blew through last week? And let s not forget about that elderly woman that you cut off because she was “going to slow”.
So, now that you know you have had problems with either your road rage or someone elses, what can be done about it? For starters, deep breathing works wonders on road rage. If you think about this, it really makes sense. When your body goes into stress or anxiety mode, if you pay attention to the signals that your body sends out, one of the things that you will notice is that your breathing typically becomes more shallow and forced, causing you to take shorter breaths. You may feel your body get warm or flushed and you may even start to perspire. By breathing slowly and taking deep breaths, you are forcing more air into your lungs and the overall effect actually causes your body to calm down.
Rationalize with yourself. What is it about the other driver or drivers that is making you so agitated? Could there be something else at the heart of the issue? For instance, perhaps there is something that you have been worrying about for the last month, and it is finally starting to go from a slow simmer to a rapid boil, thereby causing you to be stressed out in other areas of your life. Another way to handle road rage problems is to divert your attention away from whatever is stressing you out. For example, car radios, radio talk shows and/or listening to some soothing music can also work wonders for people who are prone to high anxiety or stress. Additionally sipping water can force you to feel more relaxed because it is forcing you to slow your breathing down long enough to take a sip. Whatever it is, you need to find out what will and will not work for you so that you can contribute to the number of drivers on the roadways who are making the roads a safer place to operate a vehicle.
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