| Road Rage has become one of the most serious | | | | Could never understand why but they did. Well, a few |
| issues in Western Society. The number of murders | | | | months ago I was reading some new research on the |
| and manslaughter cases going before the court due to | | | | value of gum and it actually found that a combination |
| road rage is simply quite appalling. Just recently I | | | | of chewing gum and listening to music, helped in |
| watched a segment on A Current Affair where a | | | | releasing alpha waves in your brain. It is the alpha |
| person was bashed with in an inch of their life simply | | | | waves that are responsible for the feeling of calmness |
| because they cut another person off. | | | | you feel, like when you whistle a happy tune. |
| What, has the world gone totally nuts! | | | | Recently I was listening to a researcher who helps |
| There is no reason on the planet why any person | | | | students study for their High School exams and he |
| should be behaving like apes from the caveman period | | | | found that students increased their ability to learn by |
| on the road. Nobody is that important that they have | | | | as much as 30% by chewing gum in combination with |
| the right to take another man or woman's life just | | | | their studies and listening to music. We will cover more |
| because they cut you off. Sometimes someone | | | | on the music issue in a moment. |
| cutting you off will happen by accident and some of | | | | Strategy 3 - Meditate Prior To Traveling |
| our vehicle designs are much the reason for these | | | | Okay, I can hear it now, "Oh Yeah Hippy, Want Us to |
| incidents. As an owner of a Toyota Lite Ace Van, the | | | | Meditate do ya?" Absolutely! Look whilst meditation |
| simple design of this vehicle has led me to find many | | | | has certainly been a thing of fringe groups in western |
| dangerous blind spots where I can effectively see out | | | | society or associated with eastern religions many |
| but many vehicles owners do not know blind spots | | | | researchers are now coming to the distinct conclusion |
| even exist, so we all need to give a bit of leeway | | | | that meditation can make a huge difference to our |
| when it comes to driving cause simply due to a vehicle | | | | day-to-day lives and help us to overcome stress, |
| design can led to an accidental cut off. | | | | especially while traveling. Look, why not try out |
| Look us all make mistakes when we drive, nobody is | | | | meditation for just 20 minutes a day. It is a fantastic |
| perfect but is it really the incident of being cut off that | | | | tool and when you become proficient in the art you will |
| leads to road rage or are there other underlying issues. | | | | find that moving to a start of calm is really easy. |
| In reality, most road rage incidents that occur are | | | | There are many different techniques to help you |
| simply an outlet for other things that are going on in | | | | meditate and I certainly recommend meditating using |
| their life. With this being the case, whilst you are driving, | | | | Baroque music as we have found that it helps the |
| you are the only one who can control YOU so it is | | | | person meditating get to that point of peace a lot |
| important that you control your own road rage and to | | | | quicker than other types of meditation music. |
| help you to do that I want to outline five strategies you | | | | Let us face it... if you are calm prior to getting into the |
| can use to help you with your own road rage. | | | | car, then you have a much better chance of staying |
| Strategy 1 - Leave Yourself Enough Travel Time | | | | calm but if you are out of sorts prior to getting into the |
| One of the biggest mistakes people make during the | | | | car, then with the stress of driving all you are going to |
| day is not leaving themselves enough time to travel | | | | do is run the risk of doing something silly. |
| from one appointment to another. The stress alone of | | | | Strategy 4 - Play Baroque Meditation Music during |
| running behind schedule is enough to make a persons | | | | Your Trip |
| blood boil and personally if you are running late then | | | | Playing music in the car can really help you to maintain |
| you should not be behind the wheel of the car. You | | | | your calmness and is a great stress reliever whilst |
| are a danger behind the wheel to yourself and | | | | driving but be careful of what sort of music you do |
| everyone else. One of the observations I have made | | | | listen to. You can find that certain music can in fact |
| is that anyone who is late, always wants to do 10 | | | | heighten your anxieties or stress whilst traveling. |
| kilometers over the speed limit and will get really | | | | Researchers have found that Baroque Meditation |
| aggressive and abusive to those who want to do the | | | | music at 60 beats per minute will in fact help release |
| speed limit. | | | | alpha waves in your brain and lead you to a sense of |
| In fact one day I was driving along, this bloke got | | | | calm. Combine this strategy with that of chewing gum |
| incredibly aggressive and abusive behind me simply | | | | and you will have a much greater chance of beating |
| because he could not force me to speed. The speed | | | | road rage than without. |
| limit on the road was 100 km per hour and we were in | | | | Strategy 5 - Have A Photo Of Your Family Visible |
| an outback area where there were no fences and | | | | When fighter pilots go into battle, one of the objects |
| cattle roaming freely. I was fortunate I was in a | | | | they carry with them and put on the cockpit of their |
| Toyota Landcruiser which gave me a bit of size and | | | | aircraft is a picture of their family. The reason they do |
| protection. The individual in question eventually drove | | | | that is to remember in the heat of a dog fight exactly |
| his truck up next to my vehicle and tried to drive me | | | | what they are fighting for. Sometimes when they go |
| into the creek. Fortunately being in a four wheel drive | | | | into a really steep dive, they may loose consciousness |
| gave me the ability to go off the road and cope with | | | | for a few moments due to the G-forces and as they |
| this individual. In the end, the individual was stopped by | | | | come to the photo of their loved ones jolts them back |
| the police and charged with dangerous driving as the | | | | into place. Well just like the fighter pilots, I encourage all |
| police officer had seen the incident and clocked me | | | | drivers to have a photo of their loved ones on the |
| doing the legal limit. I was very lucky in the end | | | | dashboard of your car. |
| because I could have been killed that day. In turns out | | | | The next time someone cuts you off and you want to |
| the whole reason the individual was getting so | | | | run up the back of the car in front or to give them |
| aggressive was that he was late to get home to his | | | | what for, simply look at the photo of your family briefly |
| wife. Instead of taking his time the police caught up | | | | and remember what you will loose if you do something |
| with him and he was not home for quite some time. | | | | silly. Remember, if you kill someone whilst driving, you |
| The moral of the story is to plan your day and plan to | | | | are going to go to jail. What would you do if your |
| stay alive. If you have a full calendar of appointments | | | | family lost you? Your family should be the most |
| to go to during a day make sure you work out how | | | | important thing in your life, why put them at risk. |
| long it takes to get from one appointment to another. If | | | | Road Rage is a major problem on the roads today |
| you find you can not get to your next appointment on | | | | and whilst there is nothing you can do about all the |
| time, then simply ring the client and tell them you are on | | | | other people on the road you can do something about |
| your way, apologise and drive sensibly, cause | | | | yourself and that is where we need to start. The next |
| remember life is not a dress rehearsal. | | | | time someone cuts in front of you or someone steals |
| Strategy 2 - Chew Gum | | | | your car space, do not abuse them or confront them, |
| Whenever I used to go away with my parents when I | | | | simply feel sorry for them and move on. |
| was younger my parents would always chew gum. | | | | |