By Abby Zovren, massage therapist
We all have those times when we’re driving along, and an old argument pops into our heads.
Or we remember a time at work when we didn’t speak our minds.
Or we pass by a place we went to with a particular person that’s no longer in our lives and brings up feelings of grief, loneliness, or nostalgia.
Or we’re anxious about where we’re going or what we’re about to do, or we worry about life in general.
You’re not alone if this happens to you, and here are three and a half weird things you can do in your car to help release those feelings when they pop up. Are you ready?
Number 1
Hum to yourself. But not your favorite song. Choose a mantra or affirmation such as “I. Love. My. Self.” or just a steady tone and notice how it feels in your body when you hum the same thing over and over. Notice the feeling of your vocal cords vibrating. Notice the feeling traveling up your jaw and to the top of your head. Notice how far down the vibration goes. Can you feel it in your chest? In your arms? Try it with closed lips and then with open lips. Experiment with making the tone higher then deeper and going through a range of tones. It doesn’t matter if it sounds terrible; you’re the only one around. Or if you have kids with you, maybe you can make a game of it.
After humming your mantra or steady tone for a while, branch out a bit and start vocalizing with an open-mouthed, guttural “ahhhhhh” like you’re at the doctor’s office. Move your mouth in various ways to change the sounds and sensations.
Humming and vocalizing moves energy through the throat chakra and the neck, releasing tension in the head, neck, and shoulders. This also sends a subtle yet powerful message to the subconscious mind that it’s okay to speak up and advocate for ourselves, increasing confidence.
Number 1.5
While continuing to hum and vocalize random sounds or your mantra, take your non-driving hand and gently pat the bony part of the center of your chest (your sternum) with a soft, flat open hand. Tap all around the edges and the center, and notice how that feels. Once ready for the next step, try tapping with your fingertips in a soft, open hand, like Thing in The Addams Family. Finally, make a loose fist and firmly but gently start patting your chest all around the same area, maybe branching out to the sides and the pecs, still humming and vocalizing. If you’ve seen the movie “The Wolf of Wall Street”, this exercise may seem familiar as Matthew McConaughey’s character is sharing some words of wisdom with Leonardo DiCaprio’s character about how to be successful on Wall Street. Check out the short clip here.
Number 2
The Emotion Code inspires another great way to clear trapped emotions while driving. You’ll need to have a magnet for this one. Nothing fancy. It can be an ordinary refrigerator magnet or a plain magnet from the craft or hardware section. I bought a two-pack of simple 1.5″ round magnets and keep one in my desk and one in my car for whenever trapped emotions bubble up to the surface.
When you start to notice an emotion that you would like to neutralize, hold your magnet in your non-driving hand and brush your hand over your head from your forehead to the back of your head as if you were combing your hair. It’s okay if it feels a little silly. People driving by will think you’re just fixing your hair. Do this 10 times and then pause and take a deep breath while still paying attention to the road. And notice how you’re feeling. Did the feeling subside a bit? If it’s still bothersome, do it again. 10 swipes, then a deep breath and check in with your feelings.
This works by connecting with the energy meridians or channels within the body and moving stuck emotions out of the body using the effects of the magnet.
Number 3
This one you may already be familiar with. It’s another tapping exercise that can most certainly be done in the car, though you may not want to do this one while driving, at least for your first time, because it may be helpful to watch a video to walk you through the process. This method is called Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT and consists of tapping gently on various acupressure points around the body while saying affirmations or following prompts.
Brad Yates has one of the most popular EFT channels on YouTube, including videos for all sorts of things like releasing emotional pain, clearing fear and worry, and creating a fantastic day.
I recommend checking out some of Brad’s videos and getting the basic idea of how to do EFT so that when emotions pop up, you can do them quickly and easily, even when driving or after parking your car.
Have you tried any of these methods before reading about them today? Do you plan to try them? I’d love your thoughts on them and if they work for you.
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Abby Zovren is a massage therapist and owner of ATX Massage Therapy in Austin, TX. Her specialty is providing relief from physical and emotional pain through in-home massage in the Austin, TX, area and hypnosis sessions via Zoom for clients all over the country. You can learn more at atxmassagetherapy.com.
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