Driving can be quite a stressful activity. Navigating through traffic, especially one that barely moves, defensively driving because of reckless drivers on the road and just being stuck in one position while driving long haul, are enough causes to reduce any person into a tense ball of frustration and stress. But there is a solution. You can actually do some things while driving that can help in relieving tension and helping calm you in body and spirit.
One of the best ways to help calm you and relieve tension is by addressing the ‘back’ situation. Your driving seat and the way you sit can play a big role in how comfortable you feel. A car seat doesn’t usually offer a lot of support to the back and, as a result, this strains the back muscle, which causes tension on your body. You can alleviate the strain on your back by doing one of two things.
First, you can focus on how your head is feeling. Relaxing your head will help tremendously in relaxing your whole body as well. One way of relaxing your head is by providing support for it. Choose a car seat that has a head rest – one that is actually complementary to your height and the way you sit. A good head rest will allow you to rest your head while driving and still provide you with a good view of the road. Relieving the tension in the muscles in your head and neck area will have a cascading effect and will also lead to the relaxation of the other muscles in your body. You should also try to sit in such a way that you minimize the amount of tilt on your head whenever you glance at the side mirror.
Another thing you can do to relax your body is to remove your attention from the aching parts of your body. Instead of focusing on what is painful or what hurts, stop paying attention to it and focus on the areas of your body that are not tense or strained because of your driving. This is a bit harder to do because the natural tendency of any person who’s in pain is to focus on the pain. But once you’ve mastered how to do it, it will help you relax when you drive. By diverting your attention on other parts of your body, you will maintain your composure and this will contribute to your body losing tension and you’ll feel more relaxed when you drive.
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