Traffic Activities

While traffic generally pauses time, take this window of opportunity to make it fun and/or productive. You may even be inspired by the unexpected.

Oh Dhaka traffic, sometimes as slow as the rotation of earth. So slow that you may be surprised to see that you've actually moved from the last spot. If passengers express grief only sitting through it, imagine what the driver goes through. Everyday on the streets of Dhaka city, everyone fights their own battle with time. And while time is all you have, work your brain by entertaining yourself to distract yourself from the despair of sitting straight for a couple of hours. Let's keep the option of entertainment through our 3G networks out of the picture, because when are we not doing that? 

Here is a list of traffic hold up activities that can make your idle time fun and maybe even productive for drivers and passengers. 

Breathing exercises

This is a two in one activity. Breathing techniques such as belly breathing helps you control anxiety and aggravation. Tie that in with a core abs tightening technique and you'll burn a few calories while you are trying to calm down. Here's how it works. The first step is belly breathing. Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose. As you breathe in, pull your bellybutton in towards your spine and take 20 quick breaths, clenching your abs and only expanding your chest. Then exhale slowly, expanding your stomach. Repeat for as long as the red light allows you. This also helps with blood circulation which in turn helps you keep alert. 

Karaoke

Whether you are born to sing or are melody-challenged, jamming to your favourite tunes is a great way to spend time in your car. Create a playlist of sing-alongs and rap songs, and treat your car-karaoke like a rehearsal session. Listening to one song on repeat without really mimicking the song is also a good method of engraving tunes in your head. Make sure the volume isn't too high so that you can hear noise cues while driving or help the driver out as the co-pilot.

Practice tricky braids 

This one is also for the passengers exclusively. Girls and boys with long hair can follow the French or Dutch braid tutorials that float freely on your Instagram feed. Guys who usually sport the man-bun can try learning how to braid it instead. The car is the perfect place for both sexes to pick up this skill as you have the time and the mirrors. Braiding is really fun and simple once you get the hang of it. It is basically overlapping or underlapping three strands of locks. You want to remember that overlapping makes French braids and under lapping makes Dutch braids.

Car activities for the family 

When you are on a car ride with your little monkeys, you can play games like Name Place Animal Thing or I Spy With My Little Eye, or even Antakshari. This is a fun bonding time for you and your wolf pack. Get to know how intelligent how your kids truly are. Games as such can also expand general knowledge of all the family members. This is a great learning experience disguised as a family traffic hold up entertainment. This game with your friends as adults will also be a fun trip down memory lane. You will forget what traffic is. It may even make you wish that the traffic doesn't end. 

And if you must use your phone, instead of treating it like a pointless fidget spinner, you can actually take that time to organise your phone. We're usually scrolling through miles of newsfeed, but never clearing data on our phone that does not matter. You can take this time to organise your apps according to importance, entertainment and productivity. Maybe delete repeat selfies, and apps that you do not use much. You can also use your phone for its primary use -- call your loved ones and let them know they are on your mind. You can interact with the radio by requesting songs, or even join conversations. Lastly, while you are sitting in traffic, why not join the traffic update community. Help alert your friends and family about the traffic scene.

By Sanumkia Siddiqui