Many people know basic etiquette rules and practice good etiquette daily, but for some reason, as soon as we hit the road, we sometimes seemingly throw our good manners right out the window. Road rage is very common, and whether its triggered by slow or reckless drivers or something else, we’ve all been there. Luckily, there are a few great tips and tricks for controlling that rage while behind the wheel. Do we have your attention yet? Read on, and we’ll teach you some of our favorite ways to keep our blood from boiling while on the road!
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Three tips for controlling road rage
Plan ahead
If you’re running late and you’re stuck behind a long line of slow drivers, you’re probably going to get pretty frustrated, and that frustration can quickly turn into full-fledged road rage if you’re not careful. Although there’s no way to prevent people from driving slowly, leaving a little earlier can help keep you calm. Even leaving just a few minutes earlier than normal can mean the difference between calmly arriving at your destination on time and arriving a few minutes late with your forehead vein popping out.
Listen to your favorite music
One of the easiest ways to control road rage is to turn on your favorite music and just get lost in the tunes. Unless you’re listening to highly aggressive music, listening to music we enjoy releases dopamine in the brain, which makes us feel happy. Take a few minutes to compile some of your favorite songs into a playlist in your music library or on Spotify, or if you have a long commute, we recommend checking out a podcast or audiobook that you can focus on instead.
Realize it’s not all about you
As humans, we are wired to view the world through a very specific lense. That is, we think about what’s going on around us in relation to ourselves. When driving, however, it’s important to remember it’s not all about you. If a driver cuts you off or won’t let you get around them, it doesn’t mean they have a vendetta against you. It’s important to remember that other drivers actions often have nothing to do with us, and realizing that we are viewing situations through our own personal filter helps give a realistic perspective of other’s actions on the road.
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Do you have a way to control road rage that’s not listed above? If so, let us know your secret in the comments so we can pass it along to the rest of our readers!
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