Dealing with Commuter Stress
No one really likes to commute to work. Between the road congestion, air and noise pollution, rude drivers and time constraints, commuting stress now has a major impact on an individual’s health.
However, just because commuting is unavoidable – much like death and taxes – this doesn’t mean that it has to be detrimental to your health. There are a number of simple things you can do that will help to make your trips to and from the office more tolerable.
Be Prepared
One of the simplest changes you can make to your routine is to prepare for the work the night before. By picking out your clothes, packing your lunch and preparing any documents in the evening, you can free up twenty or thirty minutes in the morning. This in turn gives you more time for your commute.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep
After finishing your morning prep work, go to bed a little earlier and get a good night’s sleep. Waking refreshed helps you to better focus on your daily tasks and keeps your stress level low.
Ride Sharing
Studies have shown that ride sharing or car pooling has many benefits effects. Not only does it reduce the amount of traffic on the roads, as well as air and noise pollution, it has also shown to reduce commuting stress by giving you and your companions the opportunity to alternate driving duties.
Comfort
There are a couple of things you can do to make your daily ride more comfortable. For example, if you have a longer commute, you may want to consider using lumbar support to take some of the stress off your back. You could also keep a pair of slippers or comfortable footwear in the car that you can wear while you’re driving. Consider something soothing to listen to while you drive. Load relaxing music on your music player, or even listen to audio books as a useful way to keep calm.
Alternate Hours
The majority of the commuting work force travels around the same time, which is the main cause of traffic congestion. So why follow the pack? See if your employer will allow you to switch your work hours to 7 – 4, or 10 – 7, or something other than what everyone else is working. Commuting during non-peak hours means less congestion on the streets, fewer hassles and less stress.
These are just a few of the things you can do to help lessen your commuting stress.