When you’re packed with daily driving fears, the mere thought of getting behind the wheel can pump you with stress. And never mind what actually driving down the road can do.
You may already be acutely aware how your fear of driving impacts your life at the moment, but it can also impact your mental health down the line. In other words, your driving worries of today can give you emotional distress, turmoil and disorders tomorrow — or even a decade from now.
It’s not just your driving fears that have the power to impact your future mental health, either. Any daily stressor can do the trick, according to a study published in Psychological Science.
Broken or Stronger?
The study, conducted by University of California psychological scientist Susan Charles and colleagues, wanted to find which of the following scenarios were true:
- Daily stressors accumulate to later create the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back
- What doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger
Sorry, camel, but the study says you’re going to need a back brace.
“Participants’ negative emotional responses to daily stressors — such as argument or a problem at work or home — predicted psychological distress and self-reported emotional disorder ten years later,” according to study findings posted on the Association for Psychological Science website.
The study examined the results of two national surveys that involved men and women from a wide age range that spanned from 25 to 74. Self-reported results of participants indicated ongoing stress from even seemingly non-monumental events accumulated to negatively impact future mental health.
So What to Do?
Anything you can do to alleviate your daily stress today may be able to help your mental health down the line. While driving fears may seem like a tough hurdle to tackle, you can still do little things throughout the day that keep your stress levels low. Since stress feeds your driving anxiety, keeping your stress levels low can, in turn, help your driving fears dip a bit.
Two Common Sense Daily Stress Relief Tips
Take care of your body. Getting adequate sleep, regular exercise and proper nutrition lets your body stay at its peak. When your body’s humming merrily along, it’s much easier for your mind to do the same.
Take care of your mind. Take a break – or many of them! Set up a few daily stress-relief rituals, such as a calming morning walk or evening meditation. Listen to soothing music, take a bath and for goodness sake, make sure to schedule downtime to go out to do something you enjoy. Sticking with a routine can keep stress levels lower and every routine should include daily fun time.
For more info on reducing stress in your overall life, check out our series: Fixing Your Anxiety Potholes: 5 Strategies for a More Efficient and Less Anxious Life
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Additional study authors included California State University’s Jennifer Piazza and Pennsylvania State University’s David Almeida, Jacqueline Mogle and Martin Sliwinski.
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