ALT-5 Road Rage
With more and more vehicles on the road today, it seems the issue of road rage is rearing its ugly head with greater frequency.
Road rage is in fact a very real and sometimes extremely dangerous occurrence. But, too many times it is our own attitude and thoughts that motivate us to overreact in certain cases.
Anger (or rage) is the emotion we display in order to mask one of three things ~ hurt, fear or frustration. The reason we express or display anger is because with anger, there is no fear of rejection. When you are on the attack (angry) you shield yourself from any fear or rejection.
Not only is anger destructive emotionally and physically, but it can be the wedge that deters us from peace and well being. We are programmed with the fight or flight response, but how we handle particular situations is really a matter of our own personal choice.
While there are without doubt some really bad drivers out there, what is it about them that trigger our road rage? Honestly assessing the rage as it pertains to ourselves without dwelling on the other person is something we all need to do.
~ Are you angry at the slowpoke in front are angry that you yourself left the house ten minutes later than you should have? Is that driver a clear and present danger to you merely by driving slower than you feel he should? Or, are you afraid the boss will really upset because you are late, and this in turn deflects your anger toward the other driver?
~ Are you angry at the driver who cut you off, or are you still hurting from last night's argument with your partner? Is something your best friend said yesterday still prickling under your skin this morning? Is there a deception or some other negative situation happening in your life right now that you are not dealing very well with? Is the dude who just cut you off really a danger to you at this very moment, or he is your scapegoat in hiding what may be really troubling you?
In summary, we do have a choice regarding both our actions and our reactions. Understanding the emotions masked by anger is the first step in finding more productive ways of dealing with our deeper emotions. So unless that driver is jeopardizing your health and safety or that of others, learn to take a deep breath and let it go. You are not punishing him one little bit by raising your heart rate, your blood pressure, and your stress levels.
If he is a danger, report him to the authorities. If he is merely a nuisance or an aggravation to you, take another deep breath and chill.
