Stress Free Driving:
Make Your Car a Sanctuary

Is your commute maddening? Wouldn’t you love to know how to achieve stress free driving? You're not helping your overall stress situation or living a calm life if you let your stress boil over while driving.

It can be hard to contain your stress when you are sitting in slow moving exhaust fumes for an hour or more each way to a job you might not even want to go to -- but you may be surprised that your commute can be one of the best times for coping with stress.

How Can I Make Driving Less Stressful?

• Use your time here to practice your deep breathing exercises.
  
  
• Give yourself enough time in the morning to get ready. Less panic over getting to your destination on time means you will feel less stressed. Plus if you leave on time, you won't feel the need to speed or drive aggressively to make it to your destination quicker. Being able to go with the flow of traffic, rather than trying to race ahead of it will be less stressful.
  
  
• Spend as little time on the road as possible. Leave earlier in the morning and earlier in the afternoon to do your commuting. Some bosses will let you change your schedule to avoid a rush hour commute.
  
  
• Keep your car in great condition. Worrying about your car breaking down won’t help you feel at ease. Make sure you are following the manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule for your car.
  
  
• Make your seat as comfortable as possible. You can buy many items to cushion or improve your seat -- Hey, you could even try one of those massage chairs that plugs into the lighter!
  
  
• Stretch in your seat -- move from side to side, stretch your arms past the steering wheel, rotate your shoulders, lift your buttocks and so on. This will help keep your muscles loose and your blood flowing.
  
  
• Listen to music or a talk show that you enjoy on the radio. Or even get an audio book to listen to. It helps take your mind off of things.
  
  
• Adjust the temperature to suit your fancy.
  
  
• Use drive time to consider what you'd like to do or how you'd like your day to go.
  
  
• Ride with people you like if you are part of a car pool.
  
  
• Learn something new. There are plenty of podcasts you can download for free and play during your commute. You can learn a new language, learn about wine or even about space. The possibilities are endless. Plus the drive will go by faster if you are engaging your brain.