Workplace stress is a factor in just about every job out there. However, the type of stress associated with a particular job will vary. Truck driving jobs are going to have a completely different source and form of stress than someone working in an office.
The way you deal with this stress will have a large impact on your satisfaction while working truck driving jobs in Nashville, TN. Are you going to be able to handle this job on a long term basis?
Instituting a series of best practices early in your career will help you to not only enjoy your job, but to be able to stay in the industry for a long time to come.
With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of things you can do to alleviate this stress so you can focus on the task at hand.
Here are 7 tips to reduce stress while working a truck driving job:
- Be Well-Rested
- Know Your Route
- Take Breaks
- Eat Healthy Food
- Stay Occupied
- Don’t Let Other Drivers Get to You
- Breathing Techniques
1. Be Well-Rested
Proper sleep is important. A good night of rest gives your body the time it needs to recharge essential processes that help you function efficiently. This includes everything from helping proper digestion, to strengthening your immune system, to stabilizing your emotions.
Getting this necessary sleep while working a trucking job can be difficult, but it’s possible. All it takes is proper attention and for the driver to make it a priority. Click here to read our tips on how to get better sleep while on the road.
2. Know Your Route
A major source of stress while on the road is not knowing where you’re going. Detours, road construction, or unclear directions can lead to a driver feeling lost. This produces anxiety which will make any other potential source of stress feel much worse.
Make use of a navigation service such as a GPS system or even the navigation functionality on your phone. These wonderful tools will often take detours into account and offer re-routes should something pop up such as an accident that shuts down the road.
Visit Beacon Transport to learn more about trucking jobs in Nashville, TN.
3. Take Breaks
Stress builds over time. By the end of the day, something seemingly small can push us over the edge and lead to a meltdown. And even though trucking jobs place a huge importance on quickly getting to your destination, it’s important to take breaks.
Get out of your truck. Walk around a little bit. Do some stretching. This gives you a chance to hit the reset button on any sources of stress you’ve encountered up until that point. Getting rid of this built up stress can lighten your mental load for the rest of the day.
4. Eat Healthy Food
It’s very easy to snack on junk food as you drive along the road. It’s always around and it tastes great. And while this might seem like a good way to pass the time, it can put more stress on your body and mind.
Instead, you should pack your truck with fruit if you feel the need to snack on something. Try to find the healthiest options you can when you stop for meals. Pay attention to how much water you drink and avoid sodas. Staying healthy helps you feel happy.
5. Stay Occupied
Boredom allows us to focus on the wrong things. Downloading a series of interesting podcasts and bringing along your favorite music helps to occupy your attention with something productive and enjoyable. It’s much more difficult to feel stressed if you are enjoying yourself.
Stress and anxiety have the ability to take over our minds. But occupying ourselves with other stimuli is a great defense against this.
6. Don’t Let Other Drivers Get to You
It seems like the majority of people don’t drive as well as we would like them to. Road rage is a very real thing that can cause long-lasting stress. And while it might seem like this is simply an unavoidable aspect of truck driving jobs in Nashville, TN, there are things you can do to work through this stress.
Accepting your inability to change things that are out of your control is a huge aspect of this. Why waste the mental and emotional energy on things you have no control over? Learning how to convince yourself of this can be a great help.
7. Breathing Techniques
It might seem a little silly at first, but focusing on your breathing is actually a great stress reducer. And, it’s something you can easily do from the cab of your truck.
Slowly breathe in through your nose and release it through your mouth. Take deep breaths and repeat this ten times in a row. This is only a very basic technique, but it can help reduce stress. There are many more techniques that can be a great help.
