 phone into silent mode and turn your music off before you drive. This will help you ease into a state of complete attentiveness and the silence will allow you to keep your eyes — and ears — on the road.
3.Wish Other Drivers Well
Most people tend to feel a surge of anger and animosity towards other drivers whenever rudeness is involved. The most common example of this is having your car cut off mid-traffic by a terrible driver.
As a sensible driver, you shouldn’t let your emotions get the better of you. As soon as the feeling of anger and frustration arises, you have to learn to let them go. You can try doing this:
- Take a deep breath and release the negative emotions that are building up inside you.
- Turn animosity into kindness by wishing good health and peace for those drivers that have wronged you.
By turning negative emotions into positive ones, you will be able to regain peace of mind as well as your focus for the long drive ahead.
4.Use Stop Signs to Heighten Your Awareness
When drivers have been on the road for a while, their situational awareness goes down and with it, their ability to concentrate. One of the most effective mindful ways to counter this is to use stop signs to regain lost focus.
Here’s how it’s done:
- Whenever you approach a stop sign, slow down, and observe your surroundings. This will help heighten your awareness.
- When bringing your car to a full stop, do so with the presence of mind.
- Use the time to allow your brain to rewire and regain focus.
- Continue to take note of the sights and the sounds around you as you proceed with your drive.
Sometimes, people don’t really notice that they are driving at high speeds and for them, this has become the norm. Speeding can be quite dangerous for the driver, the passengers and the people around them, so this must be avoided as much as possible.
If you ever notice yourself speeding, do this mindfulness exercise:
- Lightly loosen your foot on the gas and take a deep breath
- Ask yourself “Why are you in a hurry?”
- If you feel like there’s no need to hurry to your destination, slow down and take in what’s around you.
6.Bring Your Attention Back to the Car
As you continue to drive, maintaining your focus can be challenging since you need to continually shift your attention. Whenever you notice your thoughts starting to wander, reel them back in. Listen to the sound of the engine and the feel of the steering wheel on your hands. Then focus on the road ahead of you.
7.Keep Your Focus on the Road and Observe
While you are driving, focus on the road and continue to take note of your surroundings. Pay attention to the traffic, the people, the buildings, and the landscapes around you. Even if you’ve taken the same route a number of times before, you can bet you’ll notice something new when you drive mindfully.
Integrating mindfulness meditation into your driving routine can take some and will require constant practice. But once you have mastered it, you will notice a profound shift in your driving lifestyle, resulting in a calmer, observant and safer driver.
However, sometimes even the best precautionary measures fall short. If you were in a recent vehicular accident, call Michelle Linka Law. We offer you assistance in filing your accident benefit claims so you get the compensation you deserve. Contact us today at (416) 477-7288.