Our team at AFC Urgent Care Cleveland is right there with you. We may not live in a big city, but the traffic in Cleveland can be a lot. And when you remember the days when it only took 10 minutes to get from one side of Cleveland to the other, the traffic around our town can bring about not just frustration—but also anxiety, which can wreak havoc on your health. The Unbearable Anxiety of Traffic Have you ever been dealing with drivers around town when all of a sudden an overcoming feeling of anxiety rushes through your body? This is known as the “flight or fight” response, which is a burst of energy from your body preparing to take action. Hence, your body is worked up, and you’re experiencing symptoms such as rapid heart beat and breathing. You feel as though something bad is going to happen, and you are unable to escape from the situation. Traffic especially brings this about because you are stuck there with nowhere to go, feeling claustrophobic and out of control. Fortunately, if this traffic-induced anxiety does occur—even if just around town—there are ways to alleviate the symptoms. Remain Calm Try and remember that you are OK. Yes, you may be late to a meeting. Your child may be running a little behind for soccer practice. Dinner may not be done at 6 p.m. on the dot. But that’s OK. The world will not end. Sure, it may cause an inconvenience on you or the team for a couple minutes, but it will be done and over with before you know it. Stay Focused But focus on what you can control and not what you can’t. For instance, you can’t control how fast the traffic is moving, or how slow the person in the car in front of you wants to go. However, you can focus on the song that’s playing. Or try listening to an audiobook for a change of pace. Is too much stress and anxiety impacting your health? Visit our physicians at AFC Urgent Care Clevelandfor a checkup—and we’ll help you get back to feeling like yourself.