Motoring and Mindfulness
Defined as “a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations,” mindfulness is commonly used as a preventative and therapeutic technique. But it’s one that most adults find difficult to get the hang of at first. It takes some practice. Or, perhaps just a driver’s license.
For most drivers, getting behind the wheel requires a similar state of calm and focus. To successfully drive a vehicle, you have to be aware of your surroundings in the present moment, while allowing your thoughts, feelings, and sensations to come and go, so as not to deter you from the task at hand. In the right conditions, driving can act as a shortcut to mindfulness. No practice, guides, or floor cushions required.
On the surface, mindfulness seems like too small a tool for handling life’s big problems. But its practice adds up and comes with big consequences, big benefits, and a big growing body of science backing it up as a tool worth keeping in anyone’s garage. All while scientists continue to grapple with how and how much it helps. No one can deny, it’s helping people across the world deal with the mental and physical stresses of daily modern life.