Staying calm is an art. Seriously. And that goes for any stressful situation. You’ll often read or hear that, while you can’t control every single thing in your life, you can control how you react to what happens to you.
But the thing is, most people can’t because it’s not easy to do. Here’s an example – you’re driving down the road, enjoying the drive and the view and, all of a sudden, a car cuts you off. Nothing serious happens, there’s no accident and nobody is hurt, but that person just got you so worked up, it’s insane. How do you react? Do you start swearing? Do you raise your voice? Do you completely lose your mind in the adrenaline and frustration? Or can you stay calm and control yourself?
If you picked anything other than staying calm, stick around because we’ll tell you how to stay collected in a stressful situation on the road.
Photo by RDNE Stock
Techniques for Staying Calm
Take a deep breath, count to ten and then be surprised when nothing changes because deep breaths aren’t all it takes to stay calm. They help, but they’re not enough. You’ll need to develop habits and mindsets of a certain kind, and when you do, you’ll naturally react in a calm way to any situation.
Practice Mindfulness
Practice makes perfect, so if you practice mindfulness enough, it will be easier to reduce stress and stay focused, especially while you’re driving.
Before you even start the car, take a few moments and set your intention for the calm ride that you’re about to go on. Visualize yourself handling anything that goes wrong patiently, with clarity, and picture a smooth drive with no interruptions. Short breathing exercises are a perfect complement to this – inhale for four seconds, hold a bit, then exhale slowly for six seconds.
Calming Audio
Music, podcasts, and audiobooks don’t just have to be background noise. Make yourself a few playlists that have calming, slow-paced music to keep your anxiety in check during long drives. Podcasts and audiobooks (if they’re on the topic that interests you) can help distract you from anything outside the car that could stress you out.
Regular Breaks During Long Drives
If you try to push through a long ride without breaks, you won’t be able to stay alert the entire time. Take a break every two hours to stretch, drink some water, and give your mind a break from the road. The break will reset your focus and you’ll return to the car less tense and irritated. It’ll also help you stay safe because tired, impatient people rarely make good decisions, and if you’re on the road, you’re always one bad decision away from an accident.
What to Do in Case of an Incident
We have a few steps that will help you react properly to this type of situation, but it all boils down to staying calm and approaching it with a clear mind. Here’s what to do if an accident happens.
Pause and Take Deep Breaths
You might think this is counter-intuitive, but before you do anything, pause. Inhale slowly, hold, then exhale. This isn’t just some new-age mumbo-jumbo; it’s a proven way to help activate your body’s natural relaxation response. This breathing exercise will stop you from acting on impulse.
Evaluate the Situation
Don’t rush out of the car right away. Once you’re as calm as you can be, check the situation out. See if there’s any ongoing traffic, potential hazards, or anything else that could be dangerous. Your seatbelt should be on until you’re ready to get out of the car. If you can, try to shift your car somewhere nearby before you step out.
Stay Calm and Respectful
If there are other people involved in the accident, make sure to stay respectful and calm when you talk to them. Don’t raise your voice, and don’t use language that could be considered confrontational. Tensions could be high because of the stress, and shouting and strong language are common in these situations. But they aren’t exactly helpful.
If you stay composed, you’ll make everyone around you feel calmer, plus you’ll prevent a stressful situation from descending into chaos.
Document the Scene and Be Careful with What You Say
Take your phone out and take pictures and videos of the incident. Do multiple angles and get all visible damage to the vehicles. Another very important thing is to not make any statements that could imply responsibility.
There’s a good chance you don’t quite know what is considered admitting fault in a car accident, so keep all your statements limited to only factual observations. Don’t comment on whose fault it was because this could be seen as an admission of liability.
Photo by Helena Lopes
It should be easy, but it’s not. Staying calm is simple, but it’s by no means easy. In fact, most of the time, you have to actively try to make yourself stay calm because that’s just the modern world for you.
But if you manage to stay calm on the road, you’ll be so much safer, and if something bad happens, it will be easier to handle – for you and everyone around you. It won’t happen overnight, but if you practice and give yourself time, before you know it, you’ll be ready for anything the road throws at you. Hopefully, you won’t get anything thrown at you, though. But, hey, if you do, you’ll know how to react!
Staying calm is an art. Seriously. And that goes for any stressful situation. You’ll often read or hear that, while you can’t control every single thing in your life, you can control how you react to what happens to you.
But the thing is, most people can’t because it’s not easy to do. Here’s an example – you’re driving down the road, enjoying the drive and the view and, all of a sudden, a car cuts you off. Nothing serious happens, there’s no accident and nobody is hurt, but that person just got you so worked up, it’s insane. How do you react? Do you start swearing? Do you raise your voice? Do you completely lose your mind in the adrenaline and frustration? Or can you stay calm and control yourself?
If you picked anything other than staying calm, stick around because we’ll tell you how to stay collected in a stressful situation on the road.
Techniques for Staying Calm
Take a deep breath, count to ten and then be surprised when nothing changes because deep breaths aren’t all it takes to stay calm. They help, but they’re not enough. You’ll need to develop habits and mindsets of a certain kind, and when you do, you’ll naturally react in a calm way to any situation.
Practice makes perfect, so if you practice mindfulness enough, it will be easier to reduce stress and stay focused, especially while you’re driving.
Before you even start the car, take a few moments and set your intention for the calm ride that you’re about to go on. Visualize yourself handling anything that goes wrong patiently, with clarity, and picture a smooth drive with no interruptions. Short breathing exercises are a perfect complement to this – inhale for four seconds, hold a bit, then exhale slowly for six seconds.
Music, podcasts, and audiobooks don’t just have to be background noise. Make yourself a few playlists that have calming, slow-paced music to keep your anxiety in check during long drives. Podcasts and audiobooks (if they’re on the topic that interests you) can help distract you from anything outside the car that could stress you out.
If you try to push through a long ride without breaks, you won’t be able to stay alert the entire time. Take a break every two hours to stretch, drink some water, and give your mind a break from the road. The break will reset your focus and you’ll return to the car less tense and irritated. It’ll also help you stay safe because tired, impatient people rarely make good decisions, and if you’re on the road, you’re always one bad decision away from an accident.
What to Do in Case of an Incident
We have a few steps that will help you react properly to this type of situation, but it all boils down to staying calm and approaching it with a clear mind. Here’s what to do if an accident happens.
You might think this is counter-intuitive, but before you do anything, pause. Inhale slowly, hold, then exhale. This isn’t just some new-age mumbo-jumbo; it’s a proven way to help activate your body’s natural relaxation response. This breathing exercise will stop you from acting on impulse.
Don’t rush out of the car right away. Once you’re as calm as you can be, check the situation out. See if there’s any ongoing traffic, potential hazards, or anything else that could be dangerous. Your seatbelt should be on until you’re ready to get out of the car. If you can, try to shift your car somewhere nearby before you step out.
If there are other people involved in the accident, make sure to stay respectful and calm when you talk to them. Don’t raise your voice, and don’t use language that could be considered confrontational. Tensions could be high because of the stress, and shouting and strong language are common in these situations. But they aren’t exactly helpful.
If you stay composed, you’ll make everyone around you feel calmer, plus you’ll prevent a stressful situation from descending into chaos.
Take your phone out and take pictures and videos of the incident. Do multiple angles and get all visible damage to the vehicles. Another very important thing is to not make any statements that could imply responsibility.
There’s a good chance you don’t quite know what is considered admitting fault in a car accident, so keep all your statements limited to only factual observations. Don’t comment on whose fault it was because this could be seen as an admission of liability.
It should be easy, but it’s not. Staying calm is simple, but it’s by no means easy. In fact, most of the time, you have to actively try to make yourself stay calm because that’s just the modern world for you.
But if you manage to stay calm on the road, you’ll be so much safer, and if something bad happens, it will be easier to handle – for you and everyone around you. It won’t happen overnight, but if you practice and give yourself time, before you know it, you’ll be ready for anything the road throws at you. Hopefully, you won’t get anything thrown at you, though. But, hey, if you do, you’ll know how to react!
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