Roadside mindfulness
Meditation expert Emma Mills shares her top tips
One of the things the AA and the wonderful art of meditation share in common is the understanding that anything can happen. We never expect to break down, so when we do it can come as quite a surprise.
Meditation expert Emma Mills shares her top tips to help Brits travel lighter through those moments and feel a little calmer while waiting for help to arrive.
1. Be safe
The AA always advises drivers and their passengers to ensure they are safe before picking up the phone to get help. If your car is in a vulnerable place (at the side of a busy road or on the hard shoulder of a motorway) this means getting out of the vehicle by the left-hand passenger door if possible, and moving up the bank or behind the barrier (if there is one) and a short way behind where the vehicle is. Once you are in a safe place, you can follow up your initial breakdown call to the AA by dialling the roadside mindfulness hotline over the bank holiday weekend.
2. It can happen to anyone – remember you're not the only one
Cars aren’t always as reliable as we are. In fact, the AA deals with around 3.5 million car breakdowns each year throughout the UK. Some things you can't control but you can be comforted in the knowledge that you're not the only one and it's completely normal to feel a little stressed.
3. Acceptance
Breaking down in the car can be most frustrating, especially if you are on your way to an engagement. Coming to terms with the possibility that you might not get there in exactly the way you had planned can help to ease feelings of stress. Try to accept the situation, stay focused on the solution and pay attention to what happens next and on the journey ahead, whether your car is repairable at the roadside or not.
4. Breathe
Once you're safe while waiting for help to arrive, take a few easy, natural breaths in and out. If it feels good and comfortable, you might like to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. As you breathe out, let out a little 'aahhhh' like a sigh – 'aahhhh' – repeat this two to three times. Feel the calming vibration of your voice pass through your body. You can also place your hand over your tummy button, feel it rise and fall with each breath, bringing attention to the natural ebb and flow of your breathing.
5. Release the tension
Both the jaw and the shoulders can hold a lot of tension. Try using your hand to gently massage in small, slow circles around your jaw bone – breathe in as you slowly rub your hands upwards, and out as you rub your hands downwards. You can also apply the same technique to your temples, circling for a few moments, as much as feels right for you.
6. Think happy thoughts
Sometimes when our car breaks down we feel like we are a thousand miles from the reassurance of home. Place a hand over your chest, around about where your heart is, breathe nice and easy, and bring to mind something for you that has a good feeling such as a hug from a loved one or a fond memory. Remember you're never too far away and that life will go on once help has arrived and you're back on the road.
7. Be in the moment – even on the roadside
It's common to worry about the past or future when often the 'now' might not be as bad as it seems. If we've broken down, the present situation, or the 'now', might not seem that great at all. Yet, if we want to, we can try to find the silver lining of the present instead. Notice the tiny details of life, such as the sun shining, wind blowing, grass growing, the traffic coming and going and the life flowering around you. When the AA arrives, you'll be ready to navigate that moment too.
8. Tune into your senses
Notice the ground under your feet supporting you, steady and firm. Take in the colours of the scenery, the temperature of the air against your skin or sounds of birds close by. Use your senses to soak in the moment, noticing all the happenings of life, willing to be open minded about how it seems.
9. Take a step back
The different things we see, hear and smell come and go throughout the day, just like different cars passing by or different weather patterns, here one moment and gone the next. Sometimes it can help to consider our worrisome thoughts in this way, feeling reassured that just like the passing traffic, they will pass too. It's not about getting rid of these thoughts, but taking a step back from them to create a space in which you can see them objectively and take an informed action.
10. Take a different perspective
For some people, looking at things from a different perspective can really help to calm their nerves. No matter where you've come from, or the distance you've travelled, feel safe in the knowing that the same big sky that floats above you will still be there when you arrive at your final destination safe and sound.
Feeling stressed after a breakdown? The AA roadside mindfulness phone line is available to call, free of charge, from 12.01am 24 August to 11.59pm 29 August on 0800 567 7766.
(24 August 2016)
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