Dear editor:
Have you ever been involved in road rage? If you have driven very long or been a passenger in a car, then you've probably been the instigator or the recipient of road rage. It starts out innocently enough, someone cuts in front of you or a jacked up pickup is behind you at night with halogen headlights on so bright you can't see. The first thing that goes through you mind is "that person is a jerk," (or something worse) ... and besides, how would he like it if that happen to him?
Well the problem isn't the person who cut you off or didn't realize his lights were on bright, they are the innocent ones when the rage begins, they just don't realize what they did. It could be for a multitude of reasons, not paying attention, cellphones, eating, small children, radio, who knows what. But if and when you retaliate in like manner, more than likely that innocent offender now becomes as enraged as you. And for a few moments, the minds of both go a little crazy.
Is there a solution? Yes, and believe it or not, it's quite simple. The police, military, FBI agents, sales clerks, people who work in call centers are all taught this technique to some extent. It has a variety of names, I like "tactical/combat breathing" and it can be learned in just a few minutes.
The reason it works is because breathing is controlled by both the somatic nervous system (things we can consciously control, like sticking out our tongue) and our autonomic nervous system (things we can't typically voluntarily control, like heart rate, digestion, perspiration).
You breathe automatically, without thinking about it ... but you can also consciously change the way you breathe, for a brief period of time.
So the next time a road rage situation presents itself, regardless of who/what might be the cause, the first thing you should do is try is this simple four-step breathing technique.
Breathe in for a count of four.
Hold your breath for a count of four.
Exhale for a count of four.
Count to four before starting over again.
This works whenever you find yourself in any crisis situation.
Paul Blom
Hot Springs
Editorial on 03/04/2015