A while back, Truckers News posted an interview with a “meditation expert,” Elizabeth Harper. In it, she explains that meditation can help with the emotional health of truck drivers, offering 3 simple steps:
“Step One: Meditate in the morning, sitting upright in a comfortable position.
Step Two: Close your eyes. This will help you journey inward.
Step Three: Breathe deeply. Deep breathing can help you relax and go deeper into meditation.
Step Four: Focus on a sound or on your breath or on nothing at all.”
My question to our readers is… what do you think? You drive long distances and understand the stresses and issues associated with long trips. Do you think meditation could help facilitate emotional well-being, or is this just some sort of hoax? In the article, Harper claims that various health benefits come along with meditation, including lowered blood pressure and cholesterol, two things that driving staff can struggle with. She even claims that meditation helps with road rage issues, as it improves one’s reactions during stressful situations.
I suppose we really can’t criticize this approach until we’ve tried it, but what are you impressions? Furthermore, do you typically keep an open mind when people suggest ways to handle stress, health and the various encumbrances of truck driving? Or, do you think, “This woman is a nurse and yoga instructor… she has no idea what truck driving is like!”?
Let us know and, if you have anything that helps you, let us know that too! Have you tried meditation? Does it work or fail?