Anger management while driving is incredibly important if you sometimes suffer from road rage. In a world where everybody wants to get places as fast as possible, road rage is increasing. In addition, road rage incidents can lead to accidents, attacks, and even death. So it’s important to get a handle on your anger if you find yourself getting aggressive behind the wheel. Leave plenty of time to get places so that you aren’t stressed when driving. Remember basic road manners like staying out of the left lane except to pass. If you feel like your stress is increasing, practice deep breathing exercises. And finally, listen to calming music or find calming scents that can give you a chance to regain your control. It’s important to get a handle on your road rage so that you don’t endanger yourself or other drivers.
Anger Management While Driving: Preventing Road Rage
Leave Plenty of Time
One of the key points to anger management for road rage is to not set yourself up for failure. When we are running late for things, every little inconvenience becomes a huge irritation. Leave plenty of time for driving when you need to be somewhere. That way, you’ll be less stressed about being late if you get behind a slow driver. The stress of running late can lead to a much shorter fuse with your anger.
Remember Your Manners
Another way to set yourself up for success for anger management of road range is to remember the
basic rules of the road when it comes to manners. Never tailgate other drivers as this can lead to irritation, fear, or potential retaliation by driving more slowly. Stay out of the left lane unless you are passing a vehicle. Remember to yield the right of way to other drivers and pedestrians. And always use turn signals. Try to give other drivers the benefit of the doubt.
Deep Breathing Exercises
Deep breathing exercises can be very helpful for anger management of all kinds. But if you find yourself in a situation on the road that is ramping up your road rage, it’s imperative. There are many
deep breathing exercises to calm stress, but simply breathing deeply and counting to ten slowly can help. You can also try alternating breathing in and out through each nostril. Or, try 4-7-8 breathing, where you breath in for a count of four, hold your breath for 7, then breath out slowly for eight counts.
Soothing Music and Scents
Finally, another way to tackle anger management for road rage is to listen to music. Try to find calming slower music and listen to it at a reasonable volume. Listening to frantic music loudly will just ramp up your stress level, but a nice classical piece playing quietly can do wonders to calm you down. In addition, many find that breathing in certain scents can calm their nerves. Try keeping a lavender oil roller in your cup holder that you can smell whenever you need to take a minute to calm down.
Anger management is incredibly important when driving, especially if you suffer from road rage. Road rage leads to many accidents every year, and even deaths. One of the biggest contributing factors to stress on the road is running late, so make sure to leave plenty of extra time for your drive. Remember basic courtesy on the road like avoiding tailgating and letting other drivers merge. If you find yourself getting angry, try deep breathing exercises, listening to calming music, or inhaling a calming scent to give yourself time to regain control. If you feel that you are truly not able to control your anger, seek professional help from a therapist. Road rage can be incredibly dangerous, so you must learn to control your anger on the road to avoid causing harm to yourself or others.
