{"id":21711,"date":"2013-09-10T11:47:18","date_gmt":"2013-09-10T11:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/?p=21711"},"modified":"2018-08-13T09:46:34","modified_gmt":"2018-08-13T09:46:34","slug":"5-tips-to-keep-you-sane-on-your-commute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/blog\/5-tips-to-keep-you-sane-on-your-commute\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips to Keep You Sane On Your Commute"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

It\u2019s kind of an existential thing: you\u2019re sitting still, fastened in place, and you have a continuous task to perform. There\u2019s no exit, no alternative \u2013 you\u2019re stuck there for the time being. Is it really better to try to do something instead of nothing?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a lesson from the philosophers on this one: no excuses. Americans spend an average of an hour a day commuting<\/a>, which represents about an eighth of your life if you factor out work and sleep. That\u2019s a lot of time to give up on, and a lot of opportunity lost if you don\u2019t make an effort to enjoy and enrich yourself.<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t worry: It\u2019s not homework, it\u2019s mindfulness. The idea is to make you feel more relaxed, not less. Depending on your interests and temperament, you should develop some commuting habits that loosen you up for (and from) work \u2013 making your weekdays a lot more fun to get through.<\/p>\n

Here are some suggestions:<\/h2>\n

Organize Your Thoughts<\/strong>
\n It can be helpful to your peace-of-mind to think carefully about what you\u2019ll be doing next. Try to picture your schedule and decide what to do first. Work through your day in your mind with as much detail as you can. It\u2019ll have a calming effect both in the moment and throughout the day, easing shocks and focusing your attention.<\/p>\n

Do Some Breathing Exercises<\/strong>
\n Closed eyes, the lotus position, and \u2018Om\u2019s might be out, but there\u2019s plenty you can do to relax your body even when you\u2019re in the car. Slow, deep, considered breaths will go a long way towards reducing the anxiety of being stuck in traffic.<\/p>\n

Sing<\/strong>
\n Come on, no one can hear you \u2013 and you were killing it in the shower this morning! Why not practice your karaoke favorites while you\u2019re on the road? It\u2019ll perk you up on the way to work and help you unwind on the way back. Try \u2018Life is a Highway\u2019, or \u2018Drive My Car\u2019 \u2013 \u2018King of the Road\u2019 if you\u2019re a whistler. Or, you know\u2026other, non-car related songs.<\/p>\n

Listen to Music<\/strong>
\n This might be old hat, but think about diversifying if you haven\u2019t already. The radio gives you pretty narrow choices, not to mention commercials. Why not pick up that jazz box set you\u2019ve been meaning to get to? Or work your way through the classics? You\u2019ve got ample time during your commute to become a music maven of the highest order.<\/p>\n

Listen to Audiobooks<\/strong>
\n This being the digital age, any book you\u2019ve always meant to read but haven\u2019t found the time to can be read to you while you drive. Consider digging in to the classics \u2013 it\u2019s never been easier. You\u2019ll have plenty of time to get through even the longest books, and you won\u2019t even have to take your eyes off the road.<\/p>\n

Whatever you choose to do on your commute, stay relaxed and stay focused. It\u2019s a good time to get your head together \u2013 and a bad time to let it scatter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s kind of an existential thing: you\u2019re sitting still, fastened in place, and you have a continuous task to perform. There\u2019s no exit, no alternative \u2013 you\u2019re stuck there for the time being. Is it really better to try to do something instead of nothing? Let\u2019s take a lesson from the philosophers on this one: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":34459,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21711"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21711"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34439,"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21711\/revisions\/34439"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/34459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}