A trucker's life of solitude often presents unique challenges: miles, upon miles, upon endless miles of stress in isolation and, more often than not, our own consistently negative outlook.
We're eastbound in a traffic jam and westbound is free and clear sailing -- it's easy to get stuck in the emotional well-being trap of negativity.
The current freight environment doesn’t help matters, I know. Negativity easily worms its way into our thoughts and produces less-than-desirable results, for many in every single area of their lives, not just the business.
In the past, I've written about ANTs -- automatic negative thoughts. ANTs, when they become a swarm as on a stick in a fire-ant mound, can yield negative emotions, increased anxiety, and depression.
A few examples: “I’ll never ...”, “That’s not fair”, “What an idiot! How dare he!” Thoughts of persecution (usually only within one’s mind), if ignored, bleed easily into real relationships, physical and mental health, and overall quality of life.
In that past story, I detailed some ways to combat ANTs by challenging and questioning them, reframing, and using techniques like mindfulness and meditation.
[Related: As with fire ants attacking a DOT office inspecting logs, beware the ANTs in your own mind]
Yet there’s another way forward, too: positive reinforcement. Develop a positive emotion cycle. The goal is to go from happiness to security. A technique therapists use to aid in this progression is to encourage deliberate gratitude exercises. In fact, when working with truckers struggling with depression and a negative outlook, I often encourage such gratitude exercises. But not only that. It's useful to make a point of flipping the script when a negative thought first appears in one's mind.
Essentially, take the negative thought and reverse it to the positive form.
Instead of I hate mornings, for instance: “I’m happy this morning.”
No one cares about me. I’m all alone. “I’m grateful for the friends and family I have who will help me when I need it.”
You can also include hopeful thoughts. This day is going to suck becomes something like “Today is going to be a good day, and I’m hopeful that I can make a difference to others.”
Put down on paper like this it all might seem a little silly, but a morning ritual of gratitude can definitely move you in the right direction, toward a more positive emotional cycle. Know that how you flip your script depends on your personal journey, and the specific ANTs you’re battling.
Flipping the script means taking control of what’s otherwise automatically negative to work deliberately on building that more positive cycle. Over time, positive outcomes instead of negative ones can be the result.
Everyone responds to stress differently. But for those fighting ANTs, anger is a common negative emotion. It’s certainly OK to be angry, and often justified. Yet allowing anger to spin you out of control to the point that you beat yourself up for it lays a trap that’s hard to break free from.
Folks I’ve worked with who struggle with depression and/or negativity have also benefited from adjustments in their diet -- it can have adverse effects on both physical and mental health.
The truckers I have worked with, my own personal journey, and several studies on nutrition have all shown there’s real efficacy in reducing the intake of carbs when it comes to enhancing overall mood and outlook, not to mention basic physical well-being. Many of our truck stops offer very few healthy choices, which can make doing this a challenge. But staying away from highly processed foods (i.e., junk food) is a great place to start.
I personally cut out all gluten and sodas, which helped me maintain a healthier weight on the road, while also introducing good fats into my diet.
For help and more information, drivers can contact me directly anytime at 573-730-2370.
[Related: My way of eating for better long-term physical/mental health]
