Being a truck driver can be stressful. It is common and often unavoidable. You are constantly dealing with traffic, road construction, being away from home, other drivers, delays, changing regulations, and maintenance! It can be challenging to do your job well and deal with all of this stress, so what can you do about it?
What is Stress?
Stress is how your body deals with a change that requires you to respond. It is a part of everyone’s daily life. Stress can be both good and bad for you. Good stress can cause:
- Increased levels of motivation
- Higher levels of energy
- Increased mental alertness
However, bad stress can cause:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Physical health problems
So what can we do to reduce stress?
Move and Stretch
As a truck driver, you are probably looking forward to reaching your destination as soon as possible. However, when dealing with stress, it is important to take breaks to move. Your body isn’t meant to constantly be sitting in one position all day, every day.
Try and take a break every couple of hours – grab a snack, stretch, use the bathroom. If you can’t stop, take advantage of little moments. When you’re at a stoplight, try and stretch your legs or shift your weight to give your back a break. Maybe even try taking deep breaths to relax your body and clear your mind as well.
Sleep
The absolute best way to reduce stress is to sleep. Your stress levels drastically decrease during your sleep cycle. Without getting enough sleep, your body begins to struggle to function well. You begin to struggle to think, and then it becomes harder to make decisions, which can cause you to become more stressed.
A great way to avoid this is to make sure to get the recommended amount of sleep every night to help keep your mind healthy and reduce stress. You can do this by keeping up with a bedtime routine and trying to stay away from electronics an hour before bed.
Eating
Stress eating, we’ve all heard of it! But eating to reduce stress? There are actually quite a few foods known to help reduce stress. Foods that have a high nutritional value and help fuel your body are likely to help improve your mood. However, if you choose to eat more processed and sugary foods without any nutritional value, it will often have the opposite effect.
Avoid foods that cause more stress. Try and eat a balanced diet that will keep you and your mind healthy in the long run.S
Stay in Touch
The last way to help reduce your stress levels on the road is to stay in touch with your family and friends. Staying in touch with the people you love back at home is refreshing and really important for your mental health. Talking with your friends and family during the time you are gone can help you keep your stress levels down.
Closing
Stress is an inevitable part of daily life, but there are different things you can do to help your stress levels go down while on the road. It is important to stay healthy and take care of your mental health and physical health.
Here at FCC, we prioritize our drivers and their health. Consider driving for FCC today!