If you feel the stress of rush hour traffic in your daily commute, you're not alone. It is, in fact, a global problem, and drivers in urban areas across the world experiencing the same headache on a regular basis. Without proper management, stress from traffic can ruin your day. These tips will help you lose the stress and enjoy your commute.

Take a Different Route

Seeing the same scenery, particularly the same stretch of highway, five days a week, twice per day can be disheartening and demoralizing, especially if traffic isn't moving particularly quickly. Vary your route to liven up your commute. Try taking surface roads for one leg of the journey, or take a different route on a specific day each week. Alternatively, try taking public transportation one day a week. Not only will the change of scenery do you some good, but you may discover a faster route in the process.

Listen to Soothing Music

Listen to something soft and soothing, like classical music or even meditation music. Avoid songs that might excite your emotions.

Listen to Books on Tape

Sitting in traffic is frustrating enough, but many commuters make the problem worse by spending the time stewing over problems at work and at home. Take your mind off of traffic and your troubles by listening to audio books. Audio books can provide value by distracting you from your current environment.

Give Yourself Extra Time to Arrive

Delays are one of the many reasons that people become angry in rush hour traffic. You can avoid this problem all together by giving yourself extra time to get to work. Knowing that you have enough time to reach your destination will naturally make the journey more pleasant.

Set up a Car Pool

Carpooling is beneficial and relaxing in a variety of ways.

  • Having someone to talk to provides a natural distraction from traffic.
  • You and your fellow carpoolers will likely switch drivers one day to the next, which gives everyone a break from the task of navigating traffic.
  • Saves money on gas, which can make the journey more satisfying.
  • Allows drivers to take the carpool lane. In extreme cases, this can allow commuters to cut their commute time to a fraction of its normal duration. Less time on the road means less time to become angry and frustrated with the drive to work.

Avoidance

Avoid rush hour traffic altogether by changing your work schedule to begin and end at a less busy time. Many businesses even have work from home arrangements that allow their employees to stay home one or more days per week.

This option allows you to save money on gas and saves time by cutting out your commute altogether. Even if you're only working from home one day per week, this will give you the chance to regroup and de-stress before returning to your normal work schedule. If this possibility interests you, speak with your supervisor about these possibilities.