Driving is one of the most stressful activities we do during the day. And since we spend so much time inside our cars, it’s kind of a big deal, or at least it should be. Stress increases the risk of depression, anxiety attacks and stroke – which can lead to death. So, regardless of whether you’re driving an Audi, a Lexus or just your regular Civic, you may be subjected to it.
But believe it or not, there is a way to avoid driving stress altogether and you can do so by following these easy steps:
1. Breathe
Spend a few minutes daily to do some breathing meditations, taking deep breaths and removing any negative thoughts. Simply focus on your breathing in and out, and you should be fine. This will renew and energize your body and make your driving experience a little less stressful.
2. Eat Chocolate
If breathing meditations don’t quite do it for you, you can try a chocolate meditation. Chocolate has more than 300 flavours, which means that it can easily help you reconnect with your senses and make you enjoy life a little more. This in turn will make you more relaxed throughout the day.
3. Take Walks
One of the greatest stress relievers is just a simple, good old-fashioned walk. It allows you to rethink your situation – whatever it may be – and collect your thoughts. Take some time before and after driving to walk around: either to get your lunch or just take in the sights. Just find a reason and your driving experience should get easier.
4. Use Calming Scents
There is a variety of scents that you can stick into your car for a calming effect. Those include mint, lavender, vanilla and many others. Just find a scent that appeals to you the most and keep it in the car, using either a plugin or an air freshener.
5. Avoid Negativity
Don’t get angry at other drivers, your passengers or bring any anger with you to the cockpit. Anger and frustration can easily impair your judgement and lead to stress. In other words, try to stay happy no matter what.
6. Forget the Idiots
This relates directly to the last step – since idiots on the road can easily frustrate you and make your driving experience more stressful than it should be. If you see any drivers that make obvious mistakes or commit actions that cause them to get in your way, label them an “idiot” and move on. Don’t spend time thinking about them and just get on with your life.
7. Ignore Aggressive Drivers
While idiots can be ignored, some drivers can just keep frustrating you throughout your trip – because they either need to shove their butt in-between you and the next car or honk at you for no good reason. Those are called aggressive drivers, and you should stay away from them as far as possible. Life isn’t worth the aggravation.
If you think we’ve missed something, feel free to leave a comment or send us a tweet @Unhaggle.
