Poor Traffic Posture Can Put Drivers on the Road to Stress
It’s no surprise to the perpetually gridlocked: Commuting times are up in Southern California. It takes 10 minutes longer to get to work now than it did a year ago, according to Commuter Computer, the nonprofit transportation research group. The average travel time to work is now a half hour. The trek home averages 40 minutes, or 15 minutes longer than it took a year ago.
Veteran freeway jockeys may think they have enough stress-reduction strategies, such as listening to soothing music or learning another language. But there are physical measures--such as correct driving posture--that also can ease the ride.
A death grip on the wheel can quickly increase tension in the arms and hands, leading to muscle fatigue, said Stacy Cook, an occupational therapist at St. John’s Hospital and Health Center, Santa Monica. Sitting on a chunky wallet, she said, can throw the spine out of alignment.
Here are four other ways to reduce the physical stresses of driving:
* As you drive, sit so your shoulders are directly aligned over your hips. “That way your spine is naturally aligned and the muscles don’t have to work overtime,” Cook said.
* Position yourself close enough to the steering wheel so your shoulders and elbows are relaxed, suggested Cook. Be aware too of where you hold the wheel, said Renee Ertel, an occupational therapist at Daniel Freeman Memorial and Marina Hospitals. “If you hold it too high, you are lifting the shoulders, which creates tension and fatigue in your neck.”
* Consider lower-back support. “You can buy a lumbar support pillow or make your own with a towel,” Cook said. (To do it yourself, fold a towel to a thickness of 1 1/2 inches and insert it between the seat and your lower back.)
* Don’t sit still in traffic. Move around. “Do stretches,” Cook said. “Flatten your back into the seat. Retract your neck by sliding the chin backward. That will realign the cervical curve.” And use your headrest. “In a traffic jam, most people tend to lean forward with their heads,” Ertel said. “Instead, rest the head against the headrest periodically.”
POINT / COUNTERPOINT: When Crabbiness Strikes, Should You Joke or Jog?
Crankiness can overtake even the most genial personalities at one time or another. How best to get over a case of the snits? Some therapists tell their clients to expose themselves to humor. Others claim exercise is a better way. To joke or to jog, that’s the question. And here are two answers.
Gary Emery, Los Angeles psychologist; author of “Getting Undepressed”:
“I keep exercise bikes in my office. I have clients (who are moody or depressed) ride the bike. I get on another bike. Once their mood improves, they are better able to listen to common sense. Exercise seems to change body chemistry and the way people think about themselves. There is a physiological change. As they are running or exercising, they are jarred out of their old thinking patterns. When people are depressed, they think negatively. When they are running or exercising, they think positively. People see themselves as stronger and more capable. It seems the body will do whatever the owner asks. When you are running, you challenge your body to have more energy. Studies show taking a walk can lift your mood for a couple of hours. . . .”
Allen Fay, New York psychiatrist; author of “PQR: Prescription for a Quality Relationship”:
“Humor is a powerful force for promoting mental health and change. It’s one of an armamentarium of techniques. We used to have a telephone line here at the office called dial-a-joke. Patients would call in whenever they were feeling down or in a bad mood. Now, I suggest some other techniques. One patient, for instance, was in a bad mood and asked me how to lift it. One way I suggested to her is to make animal noises. We started clucking and mooing together. It lifted the mood. . . . Get absurd--it will help put problems in perspective. Call a friend after a bad day at the office, for instance. Say, ‘I think we should schedule a public hanging of my boss.’ Enlist the help of a friend. Tell him or her you will be calling when you’re in a bad mood. The friend’s job is to remind you of the time you fell down the stairs into a bucket of water or any other incident that makes you laugh. Record a comedian you like and play back the tape when a bad mood hits. Carry around a party toy. It doesn’t matter what kind, as long as it is absurd.”
SHOP TALK: Extra-Protection Contraception
For women trying to avoid pregnancy, there’s now an extra-strength-formula contraceptive jelly. Introduced a few months ago, Ortho’s Gynol II Extra Strength has an increased amount of spermicide, said Rich Salem, company spokesman, so “offers the potential for increased spermicidal activity.” It can be used with a diaphragm or condom or alone.
“If someone wants to use a contraceptive jelly, this is probably as good as any,” said Gerald S. Bernstein, USC professor of obstetrics and gynecology and a contraceptive researcher. “Since it contains more spermicide than some jellies designed to be used with diaphragms, it may offer a little bit more protection (than other products) when used with a diaphragm.”
