Be Cool: How to Not Catch a Case This Summer

1.  Keeping your cool…in traffic. Summer road trips, teenagers fresh from their driver’s exams, and my personal favorite: Philadelphia Phillies game traffic make the perfect recipe for a hot batch of road rage. While you’re doing the gas-brake two-step, arm yourself with a bottle of Fiji and pop in a CD of relaxing songs filled with Maxwell, Jill Scott and Marsha Ambrosius. You can also try listening to a comedy channel if you have satellite radio. Try finding alternate routes or plan ahead so that your driving schedule doesn’t conflict with traffic headed towards sports’ arenas and other hotspots.

2.  Keeping your cool…at the shopping mall. Have you ever been to Old Navy during their annual summer flip-flop sale? All I can say is that I have never witnessed such utter chaos over colorful foam thong sandals. The mall will be a regular summer hangout for teens this summer whether they’re shopping or not and if you’re expecting to find peace and solitude, you might as well hang a left and head to the local synagogue. If you need to cure your retail fever, go to malls on the weekdays in the morning or early afternoon when most people are sleeping in. Avoid weekends if you can, especially during pay weeks. Also try shopping on-line to save gas and save yourself a headache. Worried about missing sales? Search for coupon codes on sites like RetailMeNot.com.

3.  Keeping your cool…at the family barbecue.
A casual conversation over iced tea and pasta salad can quickly turn into an argument about how Aunt Katrina is so bourgeois and thinks she’s better than everyone else. There’s something about liquor, barbecue and the summer sun that makes for loose lips and flying fists at many family cookouts. The night doesn’t always have to end with a police report. Try limiting the liquor; instead of serving liquor, serve beer which more people can handle. If children are in attendance, try going alcohol-free for a night. Give the party a curfew; the later the night drags on the more opportunities there are for people to catch attitudes.

4.  Keeping your cool…at the movie theater.
It’s summer blockbuster time, and unfortunately that means that more action will take place in the audience than on the screen. Crying babies, texting, and talking will have you wondering why you’re paying your hard-earned money to be aggravated. You have a few options. Much like the mall, head to the theater in the early afternoon when it’s less crowded and ticket prices are sometimes cheaper. If you can, avoid going the opening weekend of a hit, when everyone else is likely to run to the theater. Try to arrive to the movies at least twenty minutes ahead of time so you can have your choice of seating; we all hate the late comers who try to hustle the seats in the back because they took their time getting popcorn and Junior Mints. Lastly, if you find yourself forced to the front, most theaters will let you trade in your tickets so that you can sit comfortably at the next show.

5.  Keeping your cool…at the amusement park.
You drive for two hours only to wait for hours in long lines to get on the latest rollercoaster. A day at the amusement park can be a lot of fun, but will leave you exhausted and frustrated if you let it. Luckily parks like Six Flags offer the “Flash Pass” which for an additional fee allows you to reserve your place in line for certain rides while you enjoy other attractions. Try to visit during off-peak times like earlier in the summer before schools close or before summer camps open. Parks are also less crowded during the end of the season like late August or around Labor Day. Whatever time of the season, Tuesdays and Wednesdays tend to be the least busy days of the week. Most parks will offer a discount if you visit later in the day and many of them offer coupons at places such as Wendy’s, Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds so that if you have to spend most of your day waiting, at least you won’t have to pay for it.

6.  Keeping your cool…at work.
Hopefully you won’t have to spend your summer days under a pile of paperwork in a cubicle. If it’s not that, it’s all of your co-workers mysteriously becoming ill when the weather is nice, leaving you to pick up the slack. Summertime at work is something you have to plan for in advance. Schedule vacations earlier in the year, since most jobs are first come, first serve when it comes to requesting time off. Learn how to compromise: If you take Memorial Day off, work on the 4^th of July. If you can’t get the whole day off, try working half days if that’s an option. Take lunches outside or have meetings somewhere outside of the office so that you can at least enjoy the nice weather even if you’re on the clock.

7.  Keeping your cool…at home.
Depending on your neighborhood the summer can make your home feel like a safe haven or a prison. With the summer sunshine will come ice cream trucks, kids on bikes, water parks via front yard sprinklers, battle of the bass car stereo competitions, and cookouts that may run a little too late. If you can’t cooperate with your neighbors to make sure EVERYONE enjoys their summer, then try to get out of the neighborhood as much as possible. Take day trips to local museums and parks. Go away with family and/or friends for the weekend. Plan block parties so that everyone can get the summertime excitement out on selected days. If all else fails, close your windows, turn up the AC, make a cocktail and keep your fingers crossed that Netflix will drown out all of the noise outside.