I read an article today that left me feeling sad, yet determined. It was an article about how a recent road rage encounter ended in death for one passenger (a grandmother) and wounded a little girl.
I can imagine how their traveling journey started. There were five passengers in an SUV, heading to some adventurous destination. However, their plans went sour when they pulled out in front of another car, whose occupants were not so happy. A minor collusion had occurred and it was reported that both drivers had a verbal altercation.
Unfortunately, when the altercation was over, the driver of the smaller car was not finished with the encounter. The car then followed the SUV and the passenger ended up pulling out a gun and shooting at the SUV, which was clearly filled with passengers. One passenger was fatally wounded, and another little girl was shot in the arm, but will recover. Well, physically anyway.
I wanted to share this story with you because I do believe that we all can individually work together to prevent such horrible encounters and circumstances.
I realize that many people are in “hurry” mode when they get into a car. However, I am going to give you a couple of very effective exercises that can help you to relax just a little bit before you pull away and begin to drive to your destination. More importantly, these exercises may even help save your life. Not only can being in a more relaxed state help us to feel and drive more calmly, but it can also help us to respond more calmly toward others who tend to drive more aggressively around us.
While I realize that it may feel difficult to control our instant reactions towards others, we are still very responsible for our reactions. There are ways to be aware and control how we react to others who may upset us or offend us. Try to remember that you have no idea who the other driver is and how they handle stress, more or less what they may have with them in their car (or pockets). Even though there may be times that you want to look over at another driver with anger, or even yell at them with rage, just try to look away or avoid any contact with them. If you don’t, the results could be fatal.
I believe that each person, deep down, has the desire to arrive at their destination calmly and safely. In most cases, this can be achieved if we all are aware of our current state of mind, and if we try these effective exercises. They can help you when you are driving, as well as help you fend off any signs of “road rage” that may find their way into your journey. They can also help you in any situation that brings you stress, frustration, or even anger.
Exercise #1: Choose Peace in 10 Seconds
1) As soon as you get into your car, and just before you turn the ignition on, sit for just a moment.
2) Take one deep breath.
3) Then tell yourself (either out loud or in your mind), “I will choose peace today”.
4) Take one more deep breath.
5) Start your car (or whatever it is you are doing) and do it with “peace” in mind.
Exercise #2: Fun & Joyful Symbol
1) Get a small item, or picture, of something that brings a smile to your face (e.g. puppy, kitten, child, Disney character, etc.).
2) Put it up in your car where you can see it while you drive (e.g. hung from rear view mirror).
3) Every time that you make a stop, look at your item or picture. Make a point to focus as much as possible on that item.
4) If you feel yourself getting stressed at another driver, remember your item (or picture) and look over at it the next time you make a stop.
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