Two – three weeks ago I wrote about why driving brings out the worst of us. However, as always, it’s all about perspective, therefore there are some psychological benefits of driving, under some circumstances.
As I mentioned in that post, “I believe the car acts like a shell, a secure place where we can feel free, especially if we’re alone in the car. When we’re alone and we’re secure, our subconscious becomes powerful, mainly because the barriers set by our conscious (and/or society) don’t matter (and that’s because the lack of them impacts nobody). This brings me to the conclusion that driving alone becomes the perfect environment for making us feel free. If we feel free, it doesn’t matter the importance of what happens around us. When we’re free, every little thing happening around us acts as a trigger for what we want to express, but we are stopped by the conscious/society barriers. So, if the barriers are gone thanks to the perfect environment, there is nothing in place to stop us to release our deepest frustrations.”
But what if those frustrations are released without the anger? The best example is a long ride on an empty road. How does that make you feel? For me, it’s very relaxing. I feel like all my problems go away and I feel like all the weight is lifted from my shoulders. I feel free and all my frustrations go away, but without the anger. Why is this happening?
My best guess is that there are no triggers, so the frustrations can disappear smoothly and in their own rhythm, whilst during driving in the city those frustrations are forced to get out when they are triggered by certain circumstances.
Imagine having a full glass of water and you try to empty it slowly in the sink (the long relaxing drive) compared to emptying it all at once (the stressful city drive). I bet the second one will be messier and there will be splashes everywhere in that sink, and maybe even outside it.
A long drive on an empty road is like a walk in the park for me or like a quiet evening near the beach. In that time my mind can do whatever it wants without interruption, a thing that is not possible when driving in the city on busy roads.
How do you feel when you have long rides? Do you have similar experiences?
PS: If my writings mean something to you and if you feel you can learn anything from me, check out my book (Fighting the Inside Dragons) on Amazon in both Kindle and Paperback format!