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5 Ways to Lift Your Mood at a Traffic Light

By on June 26, 2014
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By Amy Vaughn

Every minute of life is a miraculous gift—an amazing, statistically improbable coalescence of cosmic energy into this self-aware experience that is you and me! And many of us spend an awful lot of these stupendously incredible moments in . . . traffic. 

Ugh, driving! So mundane. So frustrating. It can take a mediocre mood and turn it thoroughly sour.

What if, I recently started to wonder, I treated my time behind the wheel like any other activity and tried to take the opportunity to be deliberately, consciously present? 

The following are some ideas about relishing the moments we spend at stoplights. If you know of others, I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

Take three deep breaths

Driving is stressful. Did you know that driving stimulates the sympathetic nervous system (the fight or flight response) to the point where our digestion actually slows down? Add traffic, a time crunch, and/or kid(s) in the car, and that stress response is up to 11!

Conscious breathing gives us back control. Slowing down our breath slows the heart, tells the nervous system everything is ok, and turns off the stress response. So, take three deep breaths. I find it especially helpful to relax my face and shoulders during the exhale.  (Try it!)

Look for a tree

Connecting with nature doesn’t have to be a full body experience. Just looking at photographs of natural settings has proven to have a calming effect. A tree, a bush, some flowers, any plant can remind us of our connection with the earth below the asphalt. 

Practice gratitude

Unfortunately, many of us are hard-wired to focus on things that are going wrong. A stoplight is the perfect time to take stock of what is going right in your life. People who make gratitude a daily practice are happier and healthier overall.

Repeat an affirmation

Affirmations are an effective tool in changing habitual thought patterns. Make sure it’s worded in the present: for example, “I am compassionate toward myself.” Craft a thought you want to embody, write it down, and stick it to your dash so you won’t forget.

Dance!

Nothing lifts the mood like dancing! It’s nearly impossible to dance and be grumpy at the same time. Turn up the tunes and let loose.

biopicAmy Vaughn is the author of Yoga to Ease Anxiety: Practices and Perspectives to Help You Enjoy Life Again, which is based on her own experience overcoming (mostly!) a severe anxiety disorder. You can find her teaching yoga classes all over Tucson or online www.desertskyyoga.com.

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