In the book SeinLanguage, Jerry Seinfeld shares a few hilarious thoughts on different experiences that we all have to go through in life. One of these is traffic. He makes the argument that instead of sentencing someone to go to traffic school when they’ve received a speeding or other ticket, they should actually be sentenced to a certain number of hours in traffic. Each time you get in the car, four people would be assigned to drive on all sides of you at five miles an hour. Wouldn’t that be awful? Yes. Would it work to help people slow down and abide by driving laws? Probably. That’s because driving in traffic can be one of the most stressful experiences that we have to deal with.
The Liv Ahwatukee Blog is sharing a few tips to stay relaxed no matter the driving situation. We understand the frustration of leaving your apartment and getting stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, especially when you’re trying to get somewhere in Phoenix, Arizona. No matter what you do, sometimes it is impossible to avoid traffic, especially with the holidays coming up. So why not prepare yourself for the worst so that you can actually try to enjoy it?
The first tip we have for you is to make sure you have a good stereo. Good sound with music that you love, satellite radio, audio books, and even podcasts, are essential for a relaxing time during a traffic jam. Yes, you might have comfortable seats, but if you don’t have good music then those seats might get uncomfortable fast. Today, many cars are able to sync with mobile devices, so why not set up a “traffic jam” playlist for those unfortunate moments?
Of course, if you can do your best to avoid the traffic situation, then that is the best option. Depending on your work, adjusting your schedule is possible to avoid the extremely busy times on the road.
Keeping a positive mental attitude is a step in the right direction for dealing with traffic jams. Banging on your steering wheel, using obscene gestures, shouting curse words, and making silly faces is not a very effective way of dealing with traffic—it might make you feel better to vent, but in all honestly you won’t get to your destination any faster because of it. Remember: this hour in traffic will eventually pass. Make a plan to distract yourself with something, instead of throwing a fit. Mentally planning to avoid those feelings of anger during your next traffic jam might be hard to do, so prepare some thoughts to help. If someone is going slow in front of you, think that maybe they are going through a very hard day—how would you know it? Or, if you’re in the car with loved ones, be grateful that you get to spend more time together.
If you like cars, you can also use this time to identify how many makes and models you can recognize; the same thing goes with license plates.
What things do you do to stay focused and relaxed during a traffic jam? Let us know in the comments by sharing below. Thanks for reading today’s post!