The Stress of the Daily Commute
by John Townsend ~ October 16th, 2008. Tags: commute, traffic Filed under: Stress Management.
If you spend an hour driving to work and an hour driving home and you do it 5 days a week over 45 weeks that adds up to a staggering 450 hours a year or 56 eight working days. No wonder people get tired and stressed as a result of the daily commute.
Most people who drive on the highway are decent law abiding citizens. Unfortunately they can easily morph into warriors if they have to deal with other drivers who hit the highway as though they are competing in a Trans-Saraha Rally.
Driving at high speed and with criminal intent can do enormous damage to your body and mind. High levels of stress hormones have been shown to lower immune response and increase your risk of illness or disease.
If aggressive driving gets you home 15 minutes faster than taking it easy what do you do with the 15 minutes that you have saved? Does it mean more time for gardening, or cooking, or mediation or boozing. I suspect that these extra minutes will be consumed in catching your breath and cooling down.
I have heard news reports of motorists so enraged by negative engagements with other motorists that they shoot them. Their rage earns them 25 years of imprisonment.
If you are unable to avoid the long commutes then do whatever it takes to make the journey pleasurable.
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October 17th, 2008 at 4:53 am
Another way to relieve some of the driving stress is to practice conscious breathing. Imagine your breath having weight. If you drop your breath deep into your belly and watch it flow in then out, repeating that several times, you will naturally lower your blood pressure and begin relaxing. Harvard’s Mind Body Institute did a study that showed by just practicing that you also increase your energy and mental clarity. Since we can’t think about two things simultaneously, that exercise can break the spiral into rage. I use it often on crazy Southern California Freeways!
Elaine Masters
http://www.DrivetimeYoga.com