What Is It About The Commute That Drains Me?

On the surface, this is a no-brainer – it’s everything about the commute itself. The time involved, the energy it takes, and - did I mention the time involved? Underneath it though, there are many other factors that go into making us feel drained during the commute, and they can be very different for each person. If your goal is to alleviate the stress of the commute, then it helps to understand what it is that actually is causing the stress in the first place.

For example, is it the distance, the traffic, the amount of time sitting in one place, fears of breaking down or having an accident? Or could it be that when someone else is in control, forcing you to give up your control - for example to a pilot, a bus driver, or a conductor - it sap your energy or makes you tense.

Understanding what causes you to become tense and putting a name to it will help you on your way to overcoming the impact of this stress. A good time to think about these issues is when you are commuting. It will give you a more accurate way to identify the causes of the stressful commute.

Stop and observe your thinking. Take a moment and examine your behavior. Are you angrily shouting epitaphs in your mind or out loud to other drivers? Are you thinking of the chores left behind at home or the heavy workday ahead? Are you checking the clock and thinking about the time spent on the road? Are you listening to every creak of the train as it rounds the curves? What other things come into your mind?

If the draining is in some part of your body, then you may want to consider relaxation techniques that you can do during your commute. This will help you reduce the feeling of stress and the tension in your body.

If the draining is in your thinking, a change in attitude toward the commute will reduce that feeling. There are a number of techniques available to help you with this. Most importantly is awareness, because, with awareness, comes the ability to change.

If the draining is emotional, distraction such as listening to music, talking to someone who’s next to you, using a mantra, can be very effective. Signing up for a share-ride or using public transportation at least part of the week are also good ways to stop the draining of the commute. Even having a plan for the days off work can be energizing.

Once you are aware of these thoughts and feelings, you can begin to consciously change, making your commute more enjoyable.

Use Your Commute

Two commutes a day, ten a week, forty a month, about 440 times a year. If you commute 45 minutes to work, that is ninety minutes a day, 1,650 hours a year!

You know those goals you’ve been meaning to achieve? Why not use this time to work on them! How you choose to use the time is as broad as your imagination.

So much of our commuting time now is spent as a negative experience, that it drains us for other activities in our day. When we use our commuting time to benefit ourselves and make accomplishments, it not only will benefit us, but you will see positive impacts at work, home and play!

Using the time to organize your day at work will help you to be more productive at work and less time will be spent away from home and play. The more you are able to achieve, the goals you have been putting off will no longer seem like clouds hanging over you, and will free you up to both mentally and physically.

If you have things to do for the day call into the office (on speaker phone) and go over things that will make your day at the office more organized. If you never have time to write, bring a tape recorder and narrate your stories in your car. If you’re into exercise, isometrics (muscle contractions held for a count of 10 and repeated; do not do this if you are hypertensive or have a heart disorder) are well-documented to work in developing muscle. There are, of course, books on tape and even courses on various subjects. Why not take the time to enrich your life.

The commute is also a great time to schedule the day or review how the day went. Whatever you choose to do, getting value out of the commute helps to change your attitude about the commute and relaxes you throughout the time because you are focused on something more interesting than counting the minutes or the traffic jams. So now, instead of a major block to living, the commute can actually become an opportunity to advance your life.

Think of ten activities that you can do during your commute, and prepare some of them ahead of time. This way if you don’t feel like doing one, you have another ready to go, even if it’s just as simple as listening to your favorite music. You won’t always want to read or listen to music, so you might be prepared to work on a puzzle or compose a letter or song in your head. Your commute is as open to possibilities as you are!

Changing The Dreaded Commute

How do you change something that you have become so accustom to dreading and turn it into a positive experience and force in your life? Many of you would look at this ad think that it isn’t possible. But, in a few simple steps there is a way to turn your commute into a healthy and fulfilling experience.

So you ask, “What will I do about it?” The answer is complicated by what is realistic to do and what you are willing to do. Let's take distance. It's not realistic to think of how to shorten the distance if you continue to work for the same company and you are not willing or can't change companies. So, what to do? Actually, there are a number of things that can be done to make the travel more comfortable, less taxing and even beneficial! And this is true for anything that is making the commute difficult.

Attitude, or perception, is everything. Without a good attitude, everything is harder - paying the bills, cleaning the bathroom, even traveling to work. When we look for problems, we find them. I am suggesting that the first and primary change that will help bring a good commute is working on changing your attitude toward it. Remembering that you did choose to take this job that is X miles from home actually puts you back in control of the situation and takes you out of the victim role. If you're like most of us, you will feel empowered by using your right to choose.

A change in attitude might have you view your commute as something that you chose to undertake in order to allow you a pleasant home environment while still making an acceptable or good salary and advancing your career. Just so we are clear, the bad attitude might go something like this, "I hate driving all this way to work. I wish I could retire. What's the use of having a nice house when I don't have any time to spend in it?" Can you feel your shoulder muscles tighten just reading this? Alternatively, a good attitude might say, “Because I live this distance from work, I can live in this community, in a beautiful house of my choosing.” Just watch those muscles relax.