Have you ever done this?
So you’re driving along minding your own business. Then all of a sudden the car in front of you starts acting up. They’re not quite reaching the standards you have for driving. Either they’re not quick enough off the mark, messing around or not indicating and they’re starting to get on your nerves.
Then finally they pull over and you get to pass them but just as you draw level you shoot them a scathing look that aims to scold this unsatisfactory driver. Also add in a dash of curiosity as to does this person fit your stereotype as a bad driver?
I have to admit I’ve done this myself a number of times, it’s been done to me and I’ve spotted other drivers doing.
But what does it hope to achieve?
To let the other driver know they’ve let you down? To release a small bit of your anger out on someone else?
It’s an odd little behaviour that really is futile 🙂
The trick is to not let it bother you, to not take it personally, not let it ruin your day. You have the power in that moment to decide whether this is going to upset you or not.
I read a great quote recently (in Ruby Wax’s ‘How to be Human’):
“If you’re shot with an arrow, you just pull it out. It doesn’t help to worry about who shot it, why they shot it and whether they’ll shoot it again. Just take it out, that’s self compassion in my book”
It’s a great quote and one that puts you in control of your experiences, especially the negative ones.
So the next time the car in front of you irritates you, don’t give them that driver’s sideways glance when you overtake them. Just look forward to that clear open stretch of road in front of you. It makes for a much better day 🙂
Thomas Duggan 