A Stress-Busting Guide to Professional Driving 😎
No matter where you are in the UK, from London or Edinburgh, driving for a living is stressful.
Not only must you cope with heavy traffic, poor roads, traffic cameras, parking issues etc, but when you drive to make money, there’s also pressure to stay busy, keep a clean license, follow strict rules and deal with difficult passengers. No wonder professional driving ranks in the top ten of most stressful jobs.
For a happy life, stress is definitely something to try and avoid. However, due to its mix of emotional, physical and behavioural symptoms, it’s often hard to know when you’re suffering from too much of it. You may be highly stressed, but you put the issues it’s creating down to other causes. For instance, you’re rapidly gaining weight and you think it’s due to lack of exercise. You don’t think that you’re eating more because of a very stressful situation.
Fortunately, stress can be reduced with some simple prevention and responsive techniques. But before we look at those, we need to understand…
1. Identify Stress
Due to our common habit of playing the ‘blame game’, where we put the cause of a physical problem down to something not related to stress, physical symptoms are particularly hard to spot. (Review our Physical Symptoms of Stress Checklist to decide if any indicators are relevant to you). However, key emotional and behavioural symptoms are often easier to see. They include:
- You’re irritable and short tempered: Small issues cause you to over-react, complain, get angry or lash out at other people for no reason at all.
- You find it hard to concentrate: Focusing is difficult and you find your mind wandering. You have no interest in accomplishing tasks. Everyday problems overwhelm you.
- You can’t sleep: Your mind is constantly churning. You worry about everything. It’s tough to go to sleep and even tougher to stay there. This creates physical and mental fatigue.
- You’re a drama queen: Everything is a major issue, even when it isn’t. This drives more irritability and makes it even harder to sleep.
- Your self-esteem is low: You cannot see any value in what you do or who you are. Everything seems pointless. You reveal a sense of inferiority.
Do any of these common complaints feel familiar?
| Symptoms | Physical Effects |
|---|---|
| Headaches | Often mistaken for migraine, stress headaches can be very acute and come in waves or surges. |
| Weight change | Sudden loss or gain in weight is a classic sign of stress. Your body is over-compensating by shutting down or ramping up your appetite. |
| Chest pain | High heart rate and rapid breathing come with this symptom. It can sometimes feel like a mini heart attack, which then increases worry. |
| Dry mouth | Constantly feeling thirsty – can also be paired with difficulty swallowing. |
| Upset Stomach | Typically shows itself with heartburn or frequent digestive issues. |
| Clenched jaw | Goes along with teeth grinding. A subconscious act created by a stress-driven flood of hormones. |
| Colds and infection | You catch colds easily and often. Infections are too frequent to be normal. |
| Aches and pain | Muscle cramps, tension, aches and continual pain for no obvious external reason. |
| Nervousness | More acute than normal, regardless of the circumstance. May be accompanied by tics, foot shaking, frequent blinking, trembling hands. |
2. Stress can Increase the Effects of Fatigue
Fatigue usually manifests itself as tiredness, inattention, lack of energy and forgetfulness. The emotional and physical effects of stress can exaggerate these factors, which could prove highly dangerous to the professional driver.
See the common signs of driver fatigue below. Frequently suffering from these symptoms may be an indicator that you’re stressed. Try to combat your fatigue by taking more time off, eating properly and visiting the gym or taking up a sport. If these changes do not help, the reasons for your fatigue may be more deep-rooted and stress could be the cause.
Indicators of driver fatigue:
- Rubbing the eyes, yawning and nodding the head.
- Poor judgment and slower reaction times.
- Zoning out. (Driving somewhere but can’t recall how you got there).
- Lane drift. (You wander across the lane lines or onto the shoulder).
- Blurred vision.
3. What Can I do to Help with Stress
Most advice will tell you to beat stress by doing things like going for a long walk, taking up a hobby or visiting friends. It’s tough to do that while you’re driving through the city. Instead, here are some tips you can follow while you’re still at work:
Connecting with people
Having a good support network of colleagues, friends and family is crucial to ease your work troubles and can help you see things differently. Using social media like TikTok or Facebook is also a great way to blow off steam. (But obviously not on the move!). A good laugh, a news-swap or just a chance to let off steam with people you know is a proven stress-buster.
Take some ‘me’ time
Most professional drivers already work long hours, so don’t add to the pile. Stop for regular and meaningful breaks when you’re out on the road, (five minutes for lunch is not enough). Additionally, take some ‘chill’ time, (at least half an hour) away from the wheel. Reading the paper, listening to an audio book, playing sudoku are all also great ideas. Remember there are always more rides, but you’ve only got one body.
Set limits
It’s tempting to stay out there if the rides are available. But the longer you’re on the road, the more stress you incur. Set a daily limit – time or income – and when you reach it, switch off and go back to the real world. Always tilt your work-life balance in favour of your health.
Be positive
Keep your glass half full, not half empty. Concentrate on the positive things in your life and for which you can be grateful. Post photos of family and friends in the car. Keep a journal of the good things that happen to you. Refer to it if ever things look bleak. Happy moments can travel with you and last all day long.
Be realistic
Don’t set goals that will put you under stress to achieve. For example, if the weather is bad and traffic is slow, don’t tell yourself it doesn’t matter, and you’ll stay at work until you’ve earned a high sum that day. Trying to reach that unrealistic target will probably shoot your stress levels through the roof.
Avoid unhealthy habits
A reliance on alcohol, drugs, smoking or caffeine as your way of coping can be detrimental. This is called avoidance behaviour and it could make the effects of stress much worse. Of course, the occasional coffee is fine! Drink plenty of water, eat properly, get out of the car while you wait for rides to come in. But do treat yourself every once in a while!
4. Seek Medical Advice
If your stress levels are so high that self-help does not ease the problems, consider seeking professional care from your doctor or local clinic. Never be afraid to ask, you’re definitely not on your own. Before it totally overwhelms you, take further measures to keep it in check.
In Summary
- Driving for a living can be a stressful job.
- Stress is a major cause of illness.
- Emotional, behavioural and physical symptoms can reveal if you’re over-stressed.
- Stress can also increase driver fatigue – a dangerous condition.
- Reduce stress by using social media to connect to friends and family.
- Take meaningful breaks from behind the wheel.
- Set time or income limits each day.
- Keep positive thoughts to the front.
- Don’t turn to smoking or caffeine to cope.
- Renew insurance via the INSHUR app.
- If self-help does not work, seek medical assistance.
One thing that doesn’t have to be stressful is insurance. With INSHUR, you can manage all your policies in one place.
Did you know you can get an insurance quote with INSHUR in minutes? All you need is your driver’s license, so why not get started now?
SOURCES and LINKS:
NHS 10 Stress Busters
