The morning commute is a true test of patience and sanity – especially when you’re on public transport. Driving to work is still pretty stressful, particularly when there’s loads of traffic, but few things are as bad as being stuck on a train or bus with hundreds of other people. There’s so much noise and so many things going on; you just want some time to yourself before heading to work.
If you’re struggling to stay sane and hate your morning commute, then here are six things to try that may make it infinitely more bearable:
Throw on a podcast
Podcasts fall into the category of a love/hate form of media. Some of you will adore podcasts and probably have a few that you’ll eagerly listen to every day. Others will hate them – mainly because it feels like anyone with even the slightest crumb of online influence starts a podcast nowadays.
Regardless, if you’re a podcast enjoyer, then now’s the perfect time to throw one on. Sit back and relax as you listen to your favorite podcast during the morning commute. It’s a fun way to start your day by having a quiet laugh to yourself or catching up on things you might’ve missed over the weekend. For example, if you’re a sports fan, then you can load up your favorite sports podcasts to recap the games.
Whatever your tastes, podcasts let you zone out and ignore all the hustle and bustle of a morning commute – especially if you’re on the train or bus. Plus, you can put them on in the car if you drive to work rather than listening to the doom and gloom radio news reports.
Listen to music
Not a podcast enjoyer? Don’t worry; you can always fall back to a classic morning commute activity: listening to music! Music is great for the soul and helps you get into the right mental headspace for a long day of work. If you need to pump yourself up, then listen to some upbeat tunes that get you in the zone. If you need to feel more relaxed, slap on some classical music or lo-fi to calm yourself down and be ready for what lies ahead.
Everyone’s got their own music taste, so listen to whatever helps you prepare for work and drown out the other sounds of your morning commute. You can truly drift off on the train and feel detached from everything else around you with your headphones on listening to music. It makes you forget about everyone packed in like sardines next to you – or that one strange train passenger who loves talking loudly or making odd noises.
Again, like your podcasts, you can listen to music in the car, too. It’s not quite as captivating as doing it on the bus/train with noise-canceling headphones, but it’ll still help you get in the right mood for work.
Play some chill games
Some of you might struggle to focus during your morning commute, even if you’re listening to something through your headphones. Your brain is wired in such a way that it needs stimulation. Keeping that in mind, why don’t you play some chill mobile games while you wait for the train or bus to reach your stop?
Whip out some online pinball, play a daily crossword puzzle, get your one-a-day game of chess in, etc. You will find endless free online games that are perfect for a morning commute and help you relax or get in the zone for work. Some people love playing brain training games with puzzles before work as it fires their neurons and forces their thinking cap on. Others love simple games like Candy Crush because it helps them relax.
If you’re on public transport and want to find a way of distracting your brain and keeping it stimulated, then games will be a welcome addition to your morning commute routine.
Use a meditation app
Meditation is a beneficial habit everyone should try to add to their daily routines. It’s one of those five-minute habits that isn’t hard to fit into your schedule yet works wonders for your mind and brain. Now, you might wonder how you’ll meditate during a morning commute, what with all the commotion going on around you.
For one, let’s absolutely rule this out if you’re driving or cycling to work. You do not want to be caught in an accident because you closed your eyes to meditate! It’s an option for public transport users only – and the trick is to download a meditation app.
Like games, loads of these exist. Pick whichever one you want, then use its features to help you meditate. What tends to happen is the app will play calming music or sounds to block out everything else around you and to help you feel centered. Then, it gets you to close your eyes and follow a simple breathing routine with instructions. It’s kind of like being in a Yoga class, only you’re sitting on the train/bus. Five minutes of this before getting off will help you feel very chilled and reduce your stress levels in time for work.
Read through some of your emails
There’s nothing wrong with preparing for work during your morning commute. Many people love avoiding this and using the commute as their one final moment of calm before the work storm hits. However, you might like to get on top of things before you enter the office. This doesn’t mean you need to get your laptop out and start pouring through spreadsheets – or whatever it is you do, but you can do some simple tasks, like reading emails.
Scroll through your inbox and check if any important emails are waiting for you. It’s a good chance to cleanse your inbox of any messages that don’t require a reply – and you can even start drafting replies for the ones that do need them.
It all means that you get to work with a clear idea of what’s on your plate. You don’t waste the first 30 minutes dealing with emails because you’ve already prepared for them. It makes you more productive and helps you do more with your day.
Listen to an audiobook
Going back to the audio options during your commute, why don’t you listen to an audiobook while you’re traveling via train or bus? You’ll love this option if you’ve got a pretty long commute and just want to relax and transport yourself to a different world for 30-60 minutes.
Audiobooks are kind of like podcasts, only you pay more attention to them. They’re also way more descriptive, which really helps you zone out and forget what’s going on around you. You can use your morning commute as a way to finally get through a book you’ve always wanted to read but never had enough time. Listen to it instead, and it almost makes you look forward to your journey every day!
Jumping on that final point, this is something all of these things have in common: they might make your morning commute a thing you genuinely enjoy. You turn the worst part of your day into one of the best because you know it’s an opportunity to either listen to your favorite music, catch up on a podcast, play some games, etc. Life is all about finding ways to get little pockets of enjoyment into an otherwise busy and stressful day. Change your approach to the morning commute by trying some of these things and see how it makes you feel.
