Tis the season of road rage and poor driving conditions…did we say conditions, we meant decisions. Ever find yourself faced with the battle your two personalities “Mr. Civil” vs “Angry Bear”? Well, we have and fortunately learned some valuable lessons.
Here are 3 quick tips to help prevent the less than friendly alter ego from making an appearance.
Breathe – Yes, it is literally the oldest trick in the book. I mean we wouldn’t survive if we didn’t do it, yet we take for granted how important it is to take 10 big breaths before reacting. I think our ancestors learned this trick quite quickly. Think about it, if you made an irrational decision like chasing after that mammoth that crushed your new home, you would certainly have been saber tooth supper. Stop, breathe, think, react….not the other way around.
Empathize – My lovely friend got in a little fender bender with an ill equipped driver (you know the type, cutting you off on purpose, making you think they actually planned to do that from the moment they woke up) As my very frustrated comrade got out of the car preparing to take a strip off the a**hole that ruined his day, he stormed up to the car and noticed it was a tiny elderly lady that was badly shaken up. Now, are you going to scream at a very scared elderly person? I hope the answer is a unanimous NO! If you are able to take a step back and put yourself in a position to think kindly of others, you may prevent some aggressive driving patterns. Empathy is a prosocial tool we use to function as a society. It is helpful to recognize that we are all humans navigating poor roads, occasionally making mistakes.
Decompress - This comes in a variety of ways. We play road games, like making bets on what the driver in the vehicle coming up next looks like, or what artist is guaranteed to be playing on one of the auto tuned stations. You can decompress by sipping a good coffee as your stuck in traffic (not too much in case a bathroom break is not within site) or listening to your all-time favourite jams and reminiscing about past road trips. Whatever helps get your head out of rageville will help you and your fellow road warriors. An angry driver is a bad driver, simple as that. Be cautious, be mindful and be Mr. Civil. I bet the road would be a pretty friendly place if we were all in that headspace.
As an added bonus, we polled our sensational coworkers and asked what their favourite cruising music is. Here is our very eclectic list:
- George Ezra – Blame It on Me
- The Zolas – Molotov Girls
- Tragically Hip – Wheat Kings
- The Watchmen – All Uncovered
- Spirit of the West – Home for a Rest
- Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats – S.O.B.
- Florence and the Machine – Dog Days are Over
- Mother Mother – Modern Love
- Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Cadillac Ranch
- Reba McEntire – Fancy
- Limp Bizkit – Break Stuff
- The Offspring – Genocide
- Lenny Kravitz – Strut
- Motley Crue – Kickstart My Heart
- Limp Bizkit – Behind Blue Eyes
- Silver Chair – Ana’s Song
- Kanye West – Black Skinhead
- Chris Brown – Love More (ft Nicki Minaj)
- Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know
- Chris Willis & David Guetta – Love is Gone
- Brad Paisley ft Alison Krauss – Whiskey Lullaby
- Darius Rucker – Wagon Wheel
- Taylor Swift – Clean
- Zac Brown Band – Bittersweet
- Eric Church – Like a Wrecking Ball
- Awolnation – Sail
- Ace of Base – All That She Wants