Combat stress behind the wheel to enjoy the trip

Stress is an everyday physiological and psychological natural response, to adapt to the changes involved. Driving causes many people a barrier that triggers the so-called stress behind the wheel. This must be controlled, often with the help of a specialist in psychology , it not only causes health consequences of the affected, but can also trigger accidents.

Why stress is generated behind the wheel?

Driving stress occurs when the personal, family and / or job stress, add driving a vehicle with all that that entails. Find jams, traffic accidents which stop the movement, lack of time or high level of noise pollution are some elements of driving that can exhaust the patience of the driver.

When there are problems on the road, driving risks increase, the driver interprets them as stressful at the time and driving becomes threatening for him. Basal levels of anxiety increase and starts the chain of symptoms of stress and emotional blockage, anxiety or lack of control that make driving dangerous.

The burden of daily stress affects mood and affects those most vulnerable moments. For this reason, a person with high personal stress is a candidate to suffer stress at the wheel. People with unhealthy lifestyles, consuming alcohol or drugs, suffer from anxiety, insomnia or related to hyperactivity and impulsivity may be more sensitive to stress disorders.

Types and degrees of stress at the wheel

• Acute stress is the one that appears in an intense situation, as a collision with another vehicle, and all that entails: anxiety, emotional block, sadness, frustration, tachycardia, sweating or lack of control among other symptoms.
• Episodic acute stress includes stress when driving is very common. Some factors that cause it are driving every day at rush hour, driving to work, regular jams or receive calls while this case conduce.En symptoms are constant.
• Chronic stress driving occurs in people that the act of driving itself provokes high stress load. Symptoms of chronic stress often: anticipatory anxiety, phobia, blocking, anxiety attacks or panic attacks. People with chronic stress tend to avoid driving behind the wheel and seek alternatives to avoid having to drive.

Stress at the wheel, driving and impact on self

Reactions causes stress depend on the intensity and time that stress leads present in the life of the driver and the resources it has to decrease. In general, it tends to produce: forgetfulness, nervousness, lack of concentration or mood disorders.

A person with stress driving recklessly react, impulsive and impatient. His ability to anticipate traffic events will be reduced, and feel less perceived risk. You have less respect for traffic rules and road coexistence, greatly increasing the risk to have accidents.

How to combat stress behind the wheel

It is important to put aside the worries of everyday life at the time of taking the car.

Should manage the time, early to not go out just in time and prevent possible path factors as traffic jams or cut. With this range of time traveling calmer and stress dissipates the wheel. Also, the driver must take these common signs such as caravans, traffic signs or red lights as part of driving.

A good way to relax and take the positive path is listening to music in the car. Another exercise that reduces stress behind the wheel is to remember the illusion of the first day the car was released to associate driving with a pleasant feeling. The copilot also can help by offering calm and positive reinforcement driver: can control other secondary stimuli such as music, browser or talk about relaxing issues, helping the driver this more concentrated.

True, there are people who do not have general stress and get behind the wheel themselves suffer. Usually people with symptoms of anxiety disorders, specific phobias such as phobias such as bridges or highways. These people if they follow a psychological treatment and in some cases also a doctor, overcome the phobia or chronic stress that causes them to have the steering wheel in your hands.

Therefore, redirect life or psychological techniques using tools like the technique of cognitive restructuring, problem solving, relaxation and self-help mitigate the burdens of daily stress and reduce stress at the wheel, improving the quality of life.

In short, it should not allow the car to be an extension of the daily problems. Driving it is to know into the car leaving the worries and tensions in the trunk and enjoy the moment.