Out of the past: road rage

June 9, 2009 · Filed Under Stress and Anxiety 

car cartoon shows anger boiling overEver wondered why bad drivers get you so worked up?

Ever consider that you’re not really mad, but scared? Afraid that someone’s careless driving could injure you, even take your life? We all go from zero to 100 in a split second when we feel our lives are endangered on the road.

It’s understandable that drivers react to this needless peril in a dramatic fashion — but where does all that rage really come from?

Most likely from a lifetime of being unseen, unheard and unrecognized in the way that you’ve longed for. Perhaps since birth.

Now here you are on the highway calling up all that repressed anger and directing it toward one crazy, clueless or thoughtless motorist. That bad driver is the scapegoat for your many years of unexpressed anger and hurt.

Being angry and scared in the face of someone else’s dangerous driving is a natural reaction, but if rage is overtaking you, it’s time to take a closer look. Quite possibly your past is catching up with you.

View your road rage as an opportunity to get into therapy or visit a trusted professional. Grieve those losses and those hurts in an appropriate setting.

Getting a handle on road rage could save your life and the lives of others.

(Believe it or not, there is such a thing as “gym rage.” Same principles apply.)

Comments

One Response to “Out of the past: road rage”

  1. Lew on June 13th, 2009 6:54 pm

    Funny how I can almost predict when Im near the road rage zone — bad day, whatever. Little road rage on the Good Days!

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