Happiness On The Road. Tips to Stay Calm and Happy While Driving
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Breathe! I'm always saying BREATHE! I have to remind myself all the time. It's amazing how easy it is to forget to do such a simple thing that we do automatically. We may do it automatically, but it doesn't mean we're doing it ideally. Deep breaths from the belly can help relieve stress and tension and it's important to get all that used up air OUT at the end. I have surprised myself with how many times I have stopped to check in on my breathing and found that I have actually been holding my breath without even realizing it. With so much to focus on the road, it's not surprising that simple things like breathing can inadvertently take a back seat.
Quit rushing! Whether you are early, on time, or even running late, being all wound up and tense bound up in the FEELING of rushing doesn't help anything. You will have tension and stress and certainly won't be breathing properly, and somehow it often causes you to get there later. Wayne Dyer would talk about how when you finally stop rushing, you often get there faster. I cannot believe how true that has been. It's not just a perception of how long it takes. I have tested this on rides that I have done many times, same point A to B, same day, same time of day. Even when running late, acceptance and calmness is the way to go. Until the time machine is available, just breathe and accept the time. DECIDE to ENJOY the ride because until you can teleport, you're going to be in that car on the road for that whole journey anyway. Might as well take in the sights and enjoy the grass and trees you pass by rather than gripping the wheel with a vice grip and feeeling tormented and angry on the inside over matters that you cannot change. You too can enjoy the satisfaction and wonder of miraculously getting there earlier than you'd ever think possible when living in gratitude and peace.
Turn your ride into a Mobile University on Wheels! If you have to be in the car, you may as well use that time to be learning. It can even help keep you awake and alert to have your brain moving and thinking. Being in the car is my prime time for listening to audiobooks. Shower would be the second. I never imagined getting a waterproof speaker, I didn't think they would be very loud or work very well, but I cannot believe it actually does! Since my car doesn't have plug ins to connect my phone, and the CD player ended up eating my audiobook CDs, I often found those radio connectors to not work out so well, and I'd have to keep changing the station as I traveled, but now that same shower speaker that can bend and hang, I prop that up, it's Bluetooth so just takes me a moment to connect before I begin my journey, and I have nice loud sound to listen to my audiobooks that are through my phone. So I am not stuck with CDs that I would keep in the car, and it was a bit more hassle. Now having it on the phone and in the cloud- and I certainly took my sweet time deciding to go that route, it's just faster and I can take it from the car back into the house etc and keep on learning, which of course is one of my very favorite things to do in life!
Pack HEALTHY clean snacks! At rest stops, you will find overpriced junk. I'm not saying never have a treat. But if you're going to eat something that is going to make you feel sick and urgently need a bathroom within 30 seconds or heaven help you, it might be a better idea to be home for that situation. While on the road, why give yourself food coma? Hopefully all drivers want to be ALERT and feeling GOOD while driving. So prepare and keep your wallet and belly happy!
Carrot and Celery Sticks are great to grab and munch on with no mess, and you can keep your eyes on the road and even if you drop it on yourself, you won't be ruining your outfit.
Bananas come in their own natural "wrapper" so to speak, and while other fruit does as well, it takes two hands to peel an orange.
Thoroughly washed apples can work too.
Depending on the length of your trip, if you will need to stop for an actual meal, you can get a salad all ready the way you like it and pack some ice packs and have a much fancier salad than you will find, with your own choice of ingredients and hopefully Organic greens and feel energized and healthy for your ride. And for a fraction of the price!
For the longer rides with stops, you could even roll up some preservative-free lunch meat and have that ready to go,
To upgrade those celery sticks, you could add sunflower butter and some dried cranberries on top. That's a snack for outside the car because if that sunflower butter drops facedown on the car...that's a project!
WATER! Don't forget to pack yourself some water to stay happily hydrated.
When you are happier when you drive, you can put on a big friendly smile when you pull up at the stoplight next to the guy who was crazily weaving in and out of traffic to get past you, and you still got there at the same time, but you got to stay happy, relaxed, and full of love.