For most people, a daily commute isn’t a big deal. It’s routine, you don’t think about it much. Or at all.
But what if that routine is quietly wearing you down?
Commuting isn’t one stressful event. You do it again and again. Day in, day out. Think about it like dripping water. It happens slowly, and it almost seems as if nothing much is happening. But after a while, you notice that the bucket is almost full, and you start panicking because it’ll start overflowing soon.
That’s commuting in a nutshell. It’s nothing MAJOR. But it adds up. And that bucket (your mental health)? It’ll overflow eventually.
So what causes the mental strain?
Well, it’s sort of a (strange) mixture of knowing what’s coming tomorrow (again!) and still not knowing everything. Basically, it’s predictable enough in the sense that you know WHERE you’re going, but still unpredictable enough that you don’t know what’ll happen along the way (will there be a delay, an accident, etc.).
And, as you can imagine, it affects your mind (in a negative way).
When the Commute Becomes a Mental Burden
Usually, it’s not one bad day that turns a simple trip into something that messes with your mental health. The real problem is that it happens every single day, and stress starts to build up before you even leave your house.
You’re looking at the clock and rushing around, all the while knowing you still have crazy traffic to beat or you’ll miss your bus.
Do you want to know what really happens during those trips? It’s a few things and, on their own, none of them seems that problematic.
First, you have almost zero control. There’s no way you can make the train come faster or clear the traffic jam; you’re just along for the ride. And that’s frustrating. Then there’s all the loud noises, the crowds, having to stay alert so you don’t miss your stop, etc. In short, your brain has a lot to handle.
If you do this every day, it will start changing your mood little by little. You’ll start getting more and more cranky.
In this state, even the smallest, insignificant things will be able to get to you, leading to you becoming anxious and drained.
You might not even notice, but your mood will slowly start to change.
Maybe there’s a stressful intersection on the way to work, and you start to take the longer route. Maybe the bus you take every day was involved in a collision with a bike, so you decide to look for CTA bus-bike collision advice. Or maybe you simply shut down and try not to feel anything during the trip.
The bottom line is that, when it no longer feels like getting from A to B, commuting becomes a big problem.
How to Make Commuting Less Stressful
So not only does your work wear you down, but your commute does, too? That’s a lot of stress to take in. If you can’t control the traffic or the train/bus schedules, what do you do?
Here are some ways to make this easier.
Set Yourself Up Before You Leave
A lot of the stress associated with commuting starts at home, even though that sounds like it makes no sense.
But think about it. The panic, the rush, you’re stressing yourself out before you’re out the door.
So, how about trying to calmly prepare to leave?
This means that you should be realistic, so check your travel app to see what the traffic is like. Choose a route you know, even if it takes a few minutes longer. Going on a route that’s familiar will be less stressful than going for that spontaneous shortcut. That shortcut will result in two outcomes, none of which are great:
➔ You’ll get to your destination faster (which is great), but you’ll be stressed almost the entire time because of the uncertainty factor
➔ The shortcut will prove to be a nuisance for whatever reason (you can’t make a right there, there’s congestion, there’s a delivery truck blocking your way, etc., etc.) and you’ll arrive late, PLUS you’ll be super frustrated.
So even if you win (it works out), the gains are really not worth it. Especially when you think about the negative sides.
Your goal isn’t speed; it’s predictability.
Staying Regulated While on the Move
Once you leave your house, you want to stay centered, not distracted, meaning you should focus on regulating your nervous system.
Are you clenching your jaw? Hunching your shoulders?
If you are, take a few slow, deep breaths because breathing practices can do wonders for stress. In through your nose, out through your mouth, and repeat a few times.
If you feel overwhelmed, you can ground yourself by noticing 5 things you can see around you.
Let the Commute End When It’s Over
Most people miss this step, but it’s super important; end the commute once it’s done.
Mark that transition from commuting to work with something simple, like sitting in your car for 2 minutes before you leave or listening to a song that calms you down. Take 10 deep breaths, relax, compose yourself, and then off you go into the office.
Conclusion
Commuting will almost never be a spa day or something you look forward to. Commuting is commuting, and there’s not much you can do about it. But it doesn’t have to add to the stress of daily life.
Give those few ideas you just read about a try.
What have you got to lose?
