Own Your Anxiety by Julian Brass

Author:Julian Brass
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781989025635
Publisher: Julian Brass
Published: 2019-06-26T00:00:00+00:00

Drive Less

The less I drive, the less I stress.

I used to drive everywhere. I was behind the wheel at least two hours a day. Driving brought up so many extra things to think about and to deal with. Parking, gas, insurance, other drivers, pedestrians. My anxiety monster had more fuel than my car!

Then I moved to Israel. I sold my car. I walked everywhere. A forty-five-minute walk became a pleasure rather than a burden. After a couple of weeks of walking, I was more attuned to the mindfulness that walking promotes. And the exercise was great. Walking became a reverse luxury. I say “reverse” because before my time in Israel, I’d always associated driving with luxury, probably because of the high costs of car ownership. But an anxiety-fueled lifestyle is far from luxurious.

Now I’m back in my home city, Toronto, Canada. And I live without a car, which is a first for me here. There are times when I experience inconveniences. My family lives just outside the city, so it’s not always easy to reach them without my own wheels. But I’ve been going carless for about six months, and I feel way more chilled when it comes to getting around.

I walk, take public transit, or call an Uber or taxi. I get more exercise, walk in nature more (which, itself, is huge anxiety buster), and save some cash, too. Removing this anxiety trigger from my life has been a huge benefit for me. Maybe it will be for you, too.

And remember that if you absolutely need to drive, that’s fine. But before you get behind the wheel, evaluate other options. Maybe you decide on a once-a-week walk-the-kids-to-school day. Or maybe you run that errand at lunchtime so that you don’t have to drive at night. Whatever you choose, be mindful. Make a choice rather than operating on an automatic reflex that has anxiety-producing consequences.

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#OwnYourAnxiety tip: Look at where you can reduce the amount of driving you do. I get that not everyone can stop driving to work or taking the kids to obligations. But consider whether you can walk to the store. How about leaving the car at home when you go to a weekend brunch with your faves? There are always opportunities to leave the wheels parked at home and mindfully go where you need to go. Let’s do that.

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