After enjoying some dream drives along Waterworks Road into the city in peak hour in recent weeks, I’ve noticed the build-up returning as school holidays wind up. That quick trip may take me twice as long, at least, next week.
But I’ll be holding on to my holiday feeling as I commute thanks to a laughter yoga technique I use all the time when behind the wheel of my car. This exercise is called ‘red light, green light’ and it’s a classic for reframing our thinking.
When at a red light, I laugh out loud—and not because of whatever I’m listening to on the radio. Laughter yoga doesn’t rely on humour or comedy after all. Stopped by a red light in traffic, I just start a slow quiet ‘hohoho’ or ‘hahaha’ and I keep it going, speeding it up, for as long as the traffic light is red. My eyes remain on the light but I’m not thinking of the delay. I’m laughing. When the traffic light turns green, I stop laughing, keep smiling and gently accelerate onward. I repeat the process as and when needed throughout the journey and get to my destination feeling calm.
Why don’t you try laughing in the face of traffic delays and give road rage a wave goodbye? Happy commuting!
(c) Heather Joy Campbell 2019
Founder of The Happydemic, Heather Joy Campbell is a Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher, living in Brisbane, Australia. Seeking to spread wellbeing through laughter, seriously, Heather Joy runs workplace and organisational workshops and seminars on laughter for wellbeing, trains laughter yoga leaders, and, as a community giveback, runs a weekly suburban laughter club.