Tips to curb anger on the road

It is a fact most Indians lack civil sense. When it comes to our roads we go by our self-concocted guidelines. Many make their own lanes or try to squeeze through traffic. This chaos and confusion leads to road rage, but let's pause for a second here. Is this road rage simply about who cut your lane? Or does it also pour forth from our personal lives and issues? Hence to shed more light on the link between road rage and our personal life and how to curb it we spoke Dr. Jitendra Nagpal Psychiatrist at Moolchand Medcity in New Delhi. He says, "We all are living in an era of hectic, fast paced and stressful lifestyle with decreasing level of patience and tolerance. Especially in metropolitan cities congested road, long hour jams are leading to greater levels of road rage. People on the road are filled with worries and underlying impulses coming from their respective personal and professional lives. Some have various kinds of insecurities and for them violence is the last option to sort out issues. The slightest of provocations in such circumstances leads to momentary loss of sanity. People fall prey to easy reactive anger and later regret it." He delves deeper, "Road rage is also responsible because of the changing patterns in society. Emergence of the nuclear family and increasing communication gaps among family members results in new social dynamics. Sometimes, youngsters - just for the sake of adventure and to flaunt their powerful connections - commit these crimes with a sense of belief that they can easily escape. In some cases, road rage is a result of the accused trying to assert their identity." Here are some easy tips one can follow to deal with road rage: - Plan your time well; try to leave home early, which helps to get rid of frustration and anger when the traffic is slow. - Release the stress (stored due to anger) in a way in which there is least possible harm to self, others, and the environment. - Breathe deeply, from your diaphragm; breathing from your chest won't relax you. Picture your breath coming up from your "gut." Repeat a few times. - Slowly repeat a calm word or phrase such as "relax," "take it easy." Repeat it to yourself while breathing deeply. - If possible, divert your attention to something else that can relax you; listening to music etc. - As far as possible, do not swear to yourself or shout out: 'I will teach you/him/her a lesson. I will show you/him/her' etc. This will act as a program and will be stored as negative energy. - In daily life, regularly practice relaxation, meditation or any releasing technique so that all the pent up stress energy is either released or dissolved without disturbing yourself, others or the environment.