Like the weather, traffic is one of those things that will happen to you whether you want it to or not. Have you ever found anyone who says to you, “my favorite thing is to be in a traffic jam”? I have not found one yet (please contact me/comment if you have). Remember when you are looking at your GPS and it’s all fine and then all of a sudden you see the RED stretching for miles? Have you thought to yourself, “wow this is going to be amazing. I will be home later than I planned”? I am almost certain that you haven’t felt like that.
I have compiled a list of things that you can do when you are stuck in a traffic jam.
However, before you read the list let me tell you how much I hate traffic! I think I don’t need to say much about it because you know the feeling. So multiply that by a million and that is how much I hate traffic. Since I started to commute 4 hours a day (1.5 hours to work and 2.5 hours back – 1 additional hour because I wanted to get home late. Kidding!) I have learned to changed my feelings about traffic.
Traffic used to be my number one hate in the world but now I accept it like the winter weather (I was born in a hot climate and now live in Canada). There are things you can do to entertain yourself while stuck in a traffic jam; however there is only so much you can do while stuck in traffic (please see the list of entertainment activities at the bottom of this article). It is therefore important to know the following 3 tools before using any of the activities.
3 things you need to know before entertaining yourself in traffic
1. Use the natural power of anticipation
This is a unique gift that we all have and we use it all the time. Thankfully you do not need to find or buy it; it is within you. The brain does this so that we can predict what will happen in the future. This unique ability has enabled humans to avoid things we do not like and to go for things that we do like for thousands of years.
For example: when you think that something good is going to happen you immediately feel a rush of positive emotion. The opposite is also true when you think of bad things happening. You release the same chemicals in the brain in both situations called Catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine). This occurs just with thinking and nothing has even happened yet!
What this means is that the dread of driving in heavy traffic causes the release of these chemicals. Here the body tells your mind there is something terrible that is going to happen, and the brain tells you that there is a physical threat happening.
Why? Because the brain does not distinguish between a psychological or physical threat; hence, the brain releases the same chemicals for both.
The body does this to protect you so that you do not have hormones just for your frightening thoughts and not for physical threats in case there is actually a lion you might need to flee from (it might be too late to release hormones for physical danger if the brain was thinking it was just a threatening thought. hahaha!). That is why at all times when you anticipate bad things (e.g. traffic) the brain provides you with all the necessary tools to achieve the brain’s main purpose to help you survive. Therefore, according to the brain, traffic = bad = danger = avoid = run. We know that we should not run away as it’s not a lion, but the brain doesn’t know.
So what is the solution?
2. Mindset change
Changing one’s mindset is not easy. But what is a mindset exactly? Your mindset determines the way your beliefs affect your everyday actions, your interpersonal interactions, and reactions. Note the last word about mindset, and your reaction. In the famous book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey says that between a stimulus (e.g. traffic) and a response (e.g. feelings of anger, sadness etc.) lies the power to choose. This means that we can use the power to choose to not be negatively influenced by traffic. You can choose to interpret the traffic jam for what it is: a traffic jam! Plain and simple. Instead of saying, “I am miserable because of traffic”, you can choose to say that a traffic jam is caused by so many people going to work just like me, or that traffic is caused by ________________ you fill in the blank.
Mindset change is very powerful because it has a lot to do with how you have been conditioned both consciously and unconsciously. What do I mean by conditioned? We are all influenced by our environment. For instance, if you are around people who are saying that they hate traffic you are likely going to agree so that you are not the odd one out. “What’s wrong with you?” they would chastise. “No one likes traffic and you should hate it too”. Says who? no one. Mindset change can help you say I do not enjoy traffic like anyone else BUT I choose not to be miserable because of it.
3. Someone/everyone (on the road) is having the same experience
Knowing this is a game changer on the highway. This helps prevent viewing everyone on the road as affecting you and only you. “If only they could move away from my car,” you think, “or that truck should not be on the road!” “That one is not coming from work! I am busy driving back from work and all these people are delaying me!”
Not so fast. Have you thought of the mother who is also rushing to the hospital to see her sick child? How about the father who needs to go pick up his kids from daycare, the salesperson who wants to make that sale, or those rushing for interviews? There are Googolplex (Yes! this is the largest number) reasons that people are on the road.
It does not mean that your reason is less or more important than the other people’s reasons. One reason for traffic is that we all share space and as a result accidents happen, and people cut you off, and all this results in a long line of cars.
Next time there is traffic, (let me guess ~ tomorrow) pick some of the following things to do in the car to put that smile on your face that you deserve!
Entertaining activities while stuck in traffic
- Call a friend or family member that you have not called in a while
- Listen to audiobooks (want recommendations? see my reading list)
- Practice rhythmic deep breathing
- Pray
- Turn on the music super loud and dance on your chair (I do this a lot)
- If in public transit try to chat with someone next to you
- Go through different radio channels
- Clean your glove compartments (if you have passengers)
- Plan activities for when you get to work or home
- Say your ABCs backward
- Do the multiplication table!!
- Stop on the way if you can and do other things (e.g. grocery shopping etc.)
- If you have other passengers play games together
- Learn a new language