Stress can be a major factor in the severity of your driving fears, driving anxiety and driving phobias. But the myths you believe about stress can make your issues even worse. Knowing the truth behind these three popular stress myths can help.
Deep breathing alleviates stress.
This baby gets it wrong on two levels, according to an article in Psychology Today and another in the Huffington Post. Psychology Today hunkers down on the semantics. The article points out deep breathing does not alleviate stress because it does nothing to address the cause of the stress, it only helps you take care of one of the symptoms. Deep breathing, the Huffington Post adds, isn’t really even an effective way to do that.
Deep breathing doesn’t work because you are adding more oxygenated to your body’s already over-oxygenated state, running the risk of hyperventilating. Rather than going for deep breathing Southern Methodist University associate professor Alicia Esperanza Meuret says to go for steady, even breathing. She says to make your breath mimic the waves washing ashore on the sand, gently, steadily and evenly.
Stress comes from situations or circumstances.
How can this one be a myth, you may ask, as I am definitely stressed when I’m behind the wheel! Once again Psychology Today debunks this myth by noting it’s not the situation of being behind the wheel that causes your driving fears, driving anxiety or driving phobias – it’s your thoughts about being behind the wheel. The stress you get from driving is really the stress you get from thinking about driving, or all the awful things your brain concocts.
Stress is unavoidable.
This myth also gets a double whammy for being wrong, with one punch from Psychology Today and the other from the American Psychological Association (APA). Since stress comes from your thoughts, Psychology Today notes all you have to do is change the way you think about things. True, the concept may be much easier said than done, but it is possible.
APA adds another solution to the mix by noting your schedule can play a huge part in your stress levels. “You can plan your life so that stress does not overwhelm you,” the APA says. “Effective planning involves setting priorities and working on simple problems first, solving them, and then going on to more complex difficulties.” Once again, it may be easier said than done, but, once again, it is entirely possible.
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