A few of SA's unfavourite things

A taxi driver takes a short cut up a one-way street in Randburg. Reckless taxi drivers and people who disobey the rules top the list of what angers us. Picture: Antoine de Ras

A taxi driver takes a short cut up a one-way street in Randburg. Reckless taxi drivers and people who disobey the rules top the list of what angers us. Picture: Antoine de Ras

Published Oct 5, 2015

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Johannesburg - Taxi drivers have topped the list of the 30 things that get South Africans’ blood boiling.

Queue jumpers, people who think rules don’t apply to them, bad manners and load shedding made up the top five irritants in a survey released by Pharma Dynamics recently.

More than 1 300 people were polled.

Other temper-triggers included antisocial behaviour such as when someone pays more attention to their electronic device(s) than to you, along with having to go through endless automated phone options and then being kept on hold.

Money also leaves us fuming – as do high petrol prices, having to pay a fee for withdrawing money from an ATM, paying for parking when you only intended to pop in to the shops quickly and seeing salaries disappear in fees and taxes.

Mariska van Aswegen, the spokeswoman for the pharmaceutical company, said the poll was commissioned as a way to get South Africans to take their heart health seriously.

“With 6.3 million South Africans living with high blood pressure, South Africa has one of the highest rates of hypertension in the world. Many, however, remain unaware of their condition because high blood pressure usually has no symptoms,” she said.

“Stressful situations can cause your blood pressure to spike temporarily, but too much stress could lead to high blood pressure in the long run. Doing activities that can help you manage your stress and improve your health can make a long-term difference in lowering blood pressure.”

According to the survey, almost a third of South Africans are easily provoked, with call-centre agents and other motorists most likely to be on the receiving end of their anger.

Twenty percent of respondents experienced daily stress and aggravation from everyday irritations and frustrations, and almost 40 percent admitted that those usually caused them stress long after the incident.

Van Aswegen said that if you are tired or stressed, it doesn’t take much to make your blood boil.

“Try to take short breaks during times of the day that tend to be very stressful, identify what specifically makes you angry and think of possible solutions. Humour can also help to defuse tension. Practise relaxation skills, especially when your temper flares, and exercise is a great way to help reduce stress and feelings of frustration,” she said.

“Statistics show that about 130 heart attacks and 240 strokes occur daily in South Africa, which means 10 people will suffer a stroke and five will have a heart attack every hour. All South Africans should have their blood pressure tested.”

The Star

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