How to Keep Your Cool in Traffic

Dr. Russ: Hi! I am Dr. Russ, and a member of Harris Teeter's Yourwellness team. It is easy to get upset in traffic, after all your best laid plans has been disrupted in ways seemingly beyond your control. Indeed you can't control the traffic lights or the buses or the construction zone ahead. So, take control of the things you can control. Here are some tips for keeping your cool when hitting the road.

First, plan ahead, get to sleep a little earlier and set the alarm a few minutes earlier to get you and your car moving safely through the streets before traffic gets bad. And search out alternatively routes to your destination. Backroads are often less congested then main highways and more scenic, and don't beat yourself up. Maybe you didn't leave as early as you could have, and now you are in slow moving traffic with a fast moving pulse trying not to be late. Lighten up, you are going to get to your destination, you didn't create the traffic jam and you can't control it. You can however control your breath. No joke, when we get upset we typically take shallower breaths, which means a little less oxygen being delivered to our bodies. This can be irritating which gets us more upset, which makes us breathe a little less deeply, and well, you get the picture. Take some nice easy deep breaths to take the edge off your frustration when stuck in traffic. And honestly, try to enjoy the moment. How often during the course of your day do you get to stop, I mean really stop. Look at it in another way, the time you spend stuck in traffic is time to think. Time to listen to a favorite song, even time to relax, if you frame the experience in a positive light.

Being caught in traffic can be a hassle, no question but it is really only a minor hassle in the grand scheme of things. That is until we get all wound up and vent our frustration in unhealthy ways. Instead of losing your cool, plan ahead and take control of what you can to avoid daily traffic in the first place. Breathe through the frustration of a traffic jam, enjoy a little quite time and maybe get public transportation to try tomorrow. So, someone else is doing the driving.

Regardless of how you travel, travel safely and be well.