Summary
Drivers who experience road rage often have personal or professional issues that are causing them stress.
Although expressing anger assertively can be an appropriate way of coping with stress, aggressive behavior on the road often is against the law and can be life threatening. Instead, learn ways to manage stress and appropriately channel pent-up anger or frustration to make your commute more pleasant and safe.
Manage stress before you get behind the wheel
Because anger is an emotional response to stress, managing stress is an obvious way to reduce the likelihood of an angry blowup behind the wheel. Try to figure out what is really causing your anger -- maybe your boss is hard to handle or perhaps marital problems are to blame. Once you identify the real stressors in your life, you can seek the support you need to start dealing with these problems.
Lifestyle choices such as eating right, exercising, finding time to relax and getting enough sleep are among the best methods for reducing overall stress. But you also can do a few small things to immediately improve your mood before getting behind the wheel. Few people experience road rage when they are in good spirits:
- Give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination. If you are running late, your drive will be stressful from the start.
- Check in with a co-worker or friend who makes you laugh. Smiling relaxes tense facial muscles and uplifts spirits.
- Call your spouse, kids, or someone else you love to tell them you’re on your way home.
- Listen to soothing music.
- Grab a snack if you’re hungry or a caffeinated beverage if you feel fatigued.
- Take a short walk and stretch.
- Change into comfortable clothing.
Keep your cool
Realistically, most drivers experience flared tempers now and then -- most likely during peak travel times, particularly Friday afternoons, according to research. Next time you find yourself going from simmer to boil, take these steps to lower your heart rate and calm yourself down:
- Count backward.
- Breathe in and out deeply.
- Tense and relax your muscles.
- Visualize a relaxing experience or someone or something that makes you happy.
- Slowly repeat to yourself aloud a phrase such as “take it easy" or “stay calm.”
- Try to replace irrational, angry thoughts with logical ones. Instead of saying, “This traffic is a nightmare -- I’ll never make it to work,” try “Traffic is heavy and I’m frustrated, but getting angry won’t get me to work any faster.”
When the other driver is aggressive
- Keep in mind that other people’s bad driving is not about you. So if a car rides your bumper or cuts you off, don’t take it personally. Slow down to let the car go around you and on its way.
- Don’t try to get even. Doing so is not worth your life or someone else’s.
- Consider taking the blame, even if you didn’t do anything wrong. Look up, wave, and mouth “I’m sorry.” Then, let it go.
- Don’t stop to talk to a hostile driver.
Summary
Drivers who experience road rage often have personal or professional issues that are causing them stress.
Although expressing anger assertively can be an appropriate way of coping with stress, aggressive behavior on the road often is against the law and can be life threatening. Instead, learn ways to manage stress and appropriately channel pent-up anger or frustration to make your commute more pleasant and safe.
Manage stress before you get behind the wheel
Because anger is an emotional response to stress, managing stress is an obvious way to reduce the likelihood of an angry blowup behind the wheel. Try to figure out what is really causing your anger -- maybe your boss is hard to handle or perhaps marital problems are to blame. Once you identify the real stressors in your life, you can seek the support you need to start dealing with these problems.
Lifestyle choices such as eating right, exercising, finding time to relax and getting enough sleep are among the best methods for reducing overall stress. But you also can do a few small things to immediately improve your mood before getting behind the wheel. Few people experience road rage when they are in good spirits:
- Give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination. If you are running late, your drive will be stressful from the start.
- Check in with a co-worker or friend who makes you laugh. Smiling relaxes tense facial muscles and uplifts spirits.
- Call your spouse, kids, or someone else you love to tell them you’re on your way home.
- Listen to soothing music.
- Grab a snack if you’re hungry or a caffeinated beverage if you feel fatigued.
- Take a short walk and stretch.
- Change into comfortable clothing.
Keep your cool
Realistically, most drivers experience flared tempers now and then -- most likely during peak travel times, particularly Friday afternoons, according to research. Next time you find yourself going from simmer to boil, take these steps to lower your heart rate and calm yourself down:
- Count backward.
- Breathe in and out deeply.
- Tense and relax your muscles.
- Visualize a relaxing experience or someone or something that makes you happy.
- Slowly repeat to yourself aloud a phrase such as “take it easy" or “stay calm.”
- Try to replace irrational, angry thoughts with logical ones. Instead of saying, “This traffic is a nightmare -- I’ll never make it to work,” try “Traffic is heavy and I’m frustrated, but getting angry won’t get me to work any faster.”
When the other driver is aggressive
- Keep in mind that other people’s bad driving is not about you. So if a car rides your bumper or cuts you off, don’t take it personally. Slow down to let the car go around you and on its way.
- Don’t try to get even. Doing so is not worth your life or someone else’s.
- Consider taking the blame, even if you didn’t do anything wrong. Look up, wave, and mouth “I’m sorry.” Then, let it go.
- Don’t stop to talk to a hostile driver.
Summary
Drivers who experience road rage often have personal or professional issues that are causing them stress.
Although expressing anger assertively can be an appropriate way of coping with stress, aggressive behavior on the road often is against the law and can be life threatening. Instead, learn ways to manage stress and appropriately channel pent-up anger or frustration to make your commute more pleasant and safe.
Manage stress before you get behind the wheel
Because anger is an emotional response to stress, managing stress is an obvious way to reduce the likelihood of an angry blowup behind the wheel. Try to figure out what is really causing your anger -- maybe your boss is hard to handle or perhaps marital problems are to blame. Once you identify the real stressors in your life, you can seek the support you need to start dealing with these problems.
Lifestyle choices such as eating right, exercising, finding time to relax and getting enough sleep are among the best methods for reducing overall stress. But you also can do a few small things to immediately improve your mood before getting behind the wheel. Few people experience road rage when they are in good spirits:
- Give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination. If you are running late, your drive will be stressful from the start.
- Check in with a co-worker or friend who makes you laugh. Smiling relaxes tense facial muscles and uplifts spirits.
- Call your spouse, kids, or someone else you love to tell them you’re on your way home.
- Listen to soothing music.
- Grab a snack if you’re hungry or a caffeinated beverage if you feel fatigued.
- Take a short walk and stretch.
- Change into comfortable clothing.
Keep your cool
Realistically, most drivers experience flared tempers now and then -- most likely during peak travel times, particularly Friday afternoons, according to research. Next time you find yourself going from simmer to boil, take these steps to lower your heart rate and calm yourself down:
- Count backward.
- Breathe in and out deeply.
- Tense and relax your muscles.
- Visualize a relaxing experience or someone or something that makes you happy.
- Slowly repeat to yourself aloud a phrase such as “take it easy" or “stay calm.”
- Try to replace irrational, angry thoughts with logical ones. Instead of saying, “This traffic is a nightmare -- I’ll never make it to work,” try “Traffic is heavy and I’m frustrated, but getting angry won’t get me to work any faster.”
When the other driver is aggressive
- Keep in mind that other people’s bad driving is not about you. So if a car rides your bumper or cuts you off, don’t take it personally. Slow down to let the car go around you and on its way.
- Don’t try to get even. Doing so is not worth your life or someone else’s.
- Consider taking the blame, even if you didn’t do anything wrong. Look up, wave, and mouth “I’m sorry.” Then, let it go.
- Don’t stop to talk to a hostile driver.