Surviving Your Long Commute

If you're from the bay area, you know how annoying some commutes can be. Aside from avoiding your commute completely, which in some cases is possible to do, do you ever wonder if there was something that could help reduce your frustration? Here are 5 things to keep in mind:

Stop focusing on what upsets you. What you're thinking about definitely affects your mood. Instead of focusing on how annoying it was that a**hole cut you off and almost hit you, try focusing on the fact that you just avoided an accident because you were paying attention.

Listen to music or an audio book. When you're enjoying a great song or book, it takes the focus off the traffic, while still being able to pay attention to driving.

Avoid texting. Not only because it can alter your attention when you shift your visual focus from the road to a text (and potentially cause an accident), but because it can increase your frustration when auto-correct keeps correcting you in all the wrong ways.

Focus on what you're doing. There is something to be said about being in the moment. When we are mindful of the fact that we are driving, and can notice all of the things around us involved in driving, it keeps us more alert and calm.

Try to find the most bizarre reason to explain other's driving capabilities. Silly? Yes. But isn't that the point? It's hard to be angry when you're imagining that the person in front of you just cut you off to get off on the next exit because they have really bad diarrhea and need to find a bathroom.

There is no way around it. Traffic affects us all. You can try your best to avoid it, but if you live in the bay area (or somewhere else where there is a lot of traffic), chances are you will be in it at some point. Instead of trying to envision what you could be doing instead, accept it. You can't change it - so how can you make it better? If none of the above seem to fit you, I encourage you to find something that does so that you can survive your commute.