Try It, You'll Like It

"When you catch yourself becoming irritated or disturbed at circumstances, stop and laugh at the little things that steal your peace." - Debi Pearl

Driving down the road last week, I caught myself being entertained by other drivers.  Granted, I wasn't in a hurry and I wasn't in traffic.  I smiled remembering the times I'd caught people picking their nose or singing.  Then I wondered how much more relaxed my rush hour drives would be if I would take this same attitude of being entertained rather than being annoyed. 

Let's face it, when you are in gridlock, you aren't going anywhere any faster if you get ticked. You just get to sit there ticked instead of happy. My favorite saying is, "Every minute you spend angry is 60 seconds of happiness you can never get back." So, turn on the radio and start singing. Maybe you'll be the entertainment for the guy sitting in the car next to you!  Or turn to your favorite talk show. Or pop in a book on tape. Or  you could just study the people in the cars around you and marvel at their idiosyncrasies.

If you can't change it, you might as well embrace it. When you feel yourself getting angry, stop. Then find something that makes you laugh...or at least smile. Just the act of smiling will help you relax and de-stress.  Try it. You'll like it!