Calm, Focus, or Tense: DMV Edition

Ah, the DMV. It used to be the most dreaded of places on earth for an adult. At least, that’s what I learned from cartoons like The Simpsons, and more recently, Zootopia.

I had to go there to renew my license and I was not looking forward to standing around. The good thing now though, is that you can make an appointment, which in theory should make it quicker to go and renew.

I walk in 10 minutes to 1pm, the time of my appointment, and was met with confusion. Mostly because I didn’t know where to go. Turns out for appointments you still have to get in a number line.

That’s when I could feel the tension start to rise. But, since I now know how to control my breaths, even before my Spire vibrates, I just calmed down and did a few deep breaths.

I got called to the window at about 1:15. I had all my papers so I wasn’t worried about having things unprepared from that side of things. I was, however, a bit worried about the eye exam. Not that I wear glasses or anything, but it’s just a bit of stress when I haven’t done a vision test in awhile.

There was no reason to worry because I nailed it.

I smirked during the photo so also, no worry or stress during that time.

I didn’t want to check my app while I was at the appointment, just in case I got too caught up on breathing and missed my number being called. But when I got back in my car I looked…no tension, all focus and calm.

I attribute the calm streaks to just knowing when to stop the anxiety from coming and breathing. This knowledge comes from practicing mindfulness and wearing my Spire. I don’t want my Spire to vibrate about tension so as I’m learning to identify when my anxiety is rising and then stop and breathe to calm down.

Let us know how Spire helps you learn about what makes you tense and how to deal better with those situations!