Stuck In Traffic? How To Reduce Your Stress And Avoid A New Haven Auto Accident

Today is National Stress Awareness Day. Most people probably don’t need a day to make them aware of their stress. In fact, stress is such a common part of day to day life that it may have a direct impact on our overall health. One thing that is for sure is that no matter how stressed you are, sitting in traffic can most certainly make it worse. If you’re stuck in traffic there is a good likelihood that you might be feeling some significant stress and if you don’t handle it well, that stress may lead to a New Haven auto accident and put you at risk of getting injured.

Stress can come from all corners of our lives. Family stress can have your mind spinning all day long. Your boss may stress you out or your co-workers may even play a role. Financial stress is a real thing for almost all people and this could be running through your mind. There are so many things that can cause you stress that it is hard to imagine anyone driving home from work and not having some sort of stress running through their mind. Add on top of that the stress of traffic and you just might have a recipe for disaster.

When you are stressed out, no matter what the reason is, you may be putting yourself at a greater risk of getting into an accident. When your stress levels are elevated you may experience things like impaired judgement, an increase in risk-taking, a reduction in your attention span and emotional instability. All of these things can be manifestations of stress that can lead to dangerous circumstances especially when you’re operating a vehicle.

The good news is that stress can be managed. It’s not always easy to do and when the stress of traffic piles on with the stress of your life it may seem like an insurmountable challenge, but it really is not. There are a number of things that you can do to reduce your stress when you’re sitting in traffic. Some of them include;

1.) A technique called progressive muscle relaxation. This simple method will allow you to focus your energy on something that other then the stress you’re feeling while sitting in traffic. The way it works is that you focus your energy on tensing and relaxing different muscle groups throughout your body to release tension points. While you’re driving you may want to start with your toes and work your way all the way up to your head. The one trick here is to resist the temptation to close your eyes while you’re doing this, because of course that would be more harmful to you then stress.

2.) Breath deep. Deep breathing has been shown to reduce stress and when you work on focusing on your breathing instead of the thing that is giving you stress you will be more likely to be able to deal with the stress then if you are taking short, quick breaths. You should inhale slowly through your nose, hold the breath for a couple of seconds and then exhale through your mouth slowly. You can repeat this process for as long as it takes to get you back to a place of center.

3.) Listen to music. This is one of the best things you can do to reduce stress while you’re driving in traffic. Find your favorite playlist or listen to some random songs selected by Spotify or YouTube Music and just get lost in the music. Music has a calming power and allows you to take your mind away from the stress to a time that you may remember fondly. Getting lost in a good song or a good playlist is one way to reduce the stress you may be feeling when you’re stuck in traffic. Just be cautious that you don’t get stuck being too “into” the music that you take your focus off the road in front of you.

Stress can cause so much chaos in your life. It is not good for your physical health or your mental health. Mix stress with a situation where you are driving and working to avoid a New Haven auto accident and all of a sudden the impact of stress is magnified by a factor of one hundred. It is important that you understand your stress and take steps to reduce it so that when you are driving you can handle the stress that comes with that and you can make sure you avoid having it affect your day to day life in too negative of a way.

Regardless of whether stress is the culprit or not, if you get injured in an accident you may need someone to work with you to learn about your situation and how to protect your long-term interests. Contact our office and one of our experienced attorneys will do just that.