When driving too hard, intense emotions such as stress, anger and distress can develop and cause irrational reactions to endanger yourself, your passengers and other drivers. To avoid stress driving, here are some tips to help you get behind the wheel.
6 Ways to Reduce Stress
1. Take deep breaths
Take a few deep breaths if you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed while driving. Diaphragmatic breathing with breathing in and out can be a powerful relaxing technique to calm the mind and body. Take a deep breath through the nose, making sure the diaphragm can swell with enough air, which helps stretch your lungs. Perform this breathing technique five to ten times in a row to relax and reduce anxiety. You can also create your own meditation mix full of relaxing sounds and breathing exercises that you can play in the car when you have a moment to think.
Must Read: 8 TIPS TO REDUCE IMPOSTER SYNDROME
2. Adjust position
Simply adjusting your position in the car and keeping your body relaxed can help reduce stress. If you find yourself holding the steering wheel too tightly, loosen your hands and fingers. If you are leaning on the wheel, try leaning back or adjusting the car seat to make yourself more comfortable. Lift your shoulders up and down and expose your jaw. When you are stopped at a red light, spread your arms in the air to relieve any possible muscle tension.
3. Listen to music
Sometimes a little bit of music can go a long way when you are driving under stress. Listening to music is known to lift your mood, reduce stress and calm the body. So, turn on the radio or listen to your favorite playlist. Get your own version of James Cordon’s Carpool Karaoke and get out.
4. Leave extra space
If you are feeling the pressure on your drive, leaving space between yourself and other cars around you can help reduce the fear of a collision and be prepared for the unexpected. So, if you are on the highway, allow other cars to merge. If you are driving at night or in bad weather, increase the amount of space to give yourself more time to stop.
5. Allow extra time
If you are feeling stressed before driving, give yourself some extra time to travel. If you are traveling to a new destination, give yourself some extra time if you get lost. Try to plan your route in advance to avoid traffic or construction delays.
6. Pull over
Lastly, if you feel pressured to drive and really, feel overwhelmed, pull towards it when it is safe to do so. Stress can probably affect your driving skills, so it is best to take precautions and take some time to calm yourself down. Negative emotions can cause distractions while driving. Pulling up can give you a chance to clear your head and regenerate yourself physically and mentally.
In these days, Yoga is necessary for health and daily routines.