For many Americans, commuting is just a part of the daily routine. While fighting traffic can be stressful, there are steps you can take to make your commute more pleasant. By taking advantage of the time you spend in your car, you can arrive at the office ready to work. Alternatively, you can use the time to transition to being home or an outing with friends. Take a look at these four hacks for a better commute.
1. Report Aggressive Driving
Instead of responding to aggressive driving with your own angry maneuvers, dictate the car’s license plate number into your phone or have one of your passengers write it down. When you get to work, call police to report the dangerous driver. By empowering yourself to do something about aggressive drivers, you’re less likely to get stressed in the moment when you encounter them. Simply stay back and get the plate number. Not only are you keeping your stress levels low, but you’re also helping keep others safe by reporting drivers who are making your commute more dangerous.
2. Dig Into Some Addictive Audio Programming
Don’t rely on the radio to entertain you. Find a podcast you love, download a series of episodes, and listen to them as you drive. If you find a great podcast, you might even look forward to your car time so you can listen. For those who enjoy audiobooks, use the commute to listen to a new, engaging novel. The only problem is you may get so deep into your book, you won’t want to go inside when you arrive at work.
3. Enhance Your Physical Comfort
You may find the commute is more tolerable after you install a neck support cushion. It helps relieve some of the pressure on your neck and spine when you’re behind the wheel. If your vehicle doesn’t have lumbar support, you can also buy a firm cushion that’s shaped to the contour of your lower back.
Another way to improve your comfort is to check your seat’s position. Is it in the optimal place to allow you to reach the pedals and steering wheel easily? If not, make the necessary adjustments. You can also check your steering wheel’s position. Simply move it up or down until you find the best position based on your height and posture.
4. Do Stretches
Designed to relax and stretch tense muscles, stretches let you alleviate stress while sitting at red lights. The first time you stop, lower your right ear to your right shoulder to work out tension on the left side of your neck. Depending on the length of the stoplight, try to hold the stretch for 10 seconds. At the next light, lower your left ear to your left shoulder to stretch the other side.
To dissipate stress in your upper back, hold the steering wheel at the positions of 10 o’clock and two o’clock. Gently push away from the wheel while rounding your back. Your goal is to create as much space as possible between your shoulder blades.
With these hacks, you can improve your commute and make it an enjoyable part of your day.
Image via Pixabay
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