Relax On Your Commute to Work
I recently read a bumper sticker on the back of a rusted old pick-up truck. It said:
“I’ve got nowhere special to be, so why don’t you get off my butt!”
I was actually riding his bumper because I was rushing to get to work. I had already hit three red lights and now I was staring at that rusty old truck. Since I couldn’t pass him I eased off my gas and thought about that bumper sticker. The more I read it, the more it made sense. That man understood that whenever he got to his destination, regardless of the time, it was going to be just fine.
When you get mad at someone for driving too slow, you’re creating stress that you can’t control.
Why punch at the sand when you can create a sandcastle?
You do need tension to function, but too much will harm you. So don’t over tax your body’s resources. If you can learn to balance your stress you’ll improve your mood.
I recently read a story from Buddha Cab called I’ve Developed An Aversion to Cab Driving. He could use a little stress relief. He has a quote that I will share with you.
” … all that driving takes a toll on a commuter’s time, money, and peace of mind. David Lewis, a British scientist who studies the brain’s response to stress, found that the tension commuters experience when stuck in traffic is comparable to that felt by first-time parachutists. Part-time New York cabdriver Sol Soloncha knows that too well. ‘I’m a Buddhist,’ he says. ‘I do yoga, I practice meditation, and weekday traffic gets so bad that even I can’t keep my composure during it.’
I believe that many of us feel the same stress when we commute to work. If you can’t relax behind the wheel then you need to learn some stress relief techniques for when you’re driving. For example, I keep a tennis ball in my car and I’ll squeeze it to occupy my muscles and relieve my tension. You may want to put on your favorite CD and try to zone out to the beautiful sounds instead of getting angry at other drivers. Everyone should learn a few stress techniques and apply them when they are commuting to work. My absolute favorite technique is to find things that I appreciate as I am driving to work. Maybe it’s an Oak tree that I always pass but never notice or an old home with brown paint peeling off of it. Whatever it is, I make sure I give a little thanks for it being there.
This technique is what I call “castle building” – making something beautiful out of something frustrating. You can learn to curb your stress when you get stuck behind a truck by appreciating the things that you would normally speed on by. Try this technique on your next drive to work and let me know how it helps.
Popularity: 13% [?]
Karl @ December 21, 2007