How to reduce stress in heavy traffic

We have all been there, stuck in traffic with nothing to do. For those of us who commute by car, we spend hours of our lives sitting in our cars building up stress and getting frustrated. This kind of traffic and stress has been known to cause road rage which, at its worst, can lead to horrible outcomes.

Surely there must be a way to deal with this stress, right?

Good news, there is. Here is a lit of things that you can add to your daily commute to help you avoid the stress of traffic and stay safer on our busy streets.

Check Google Maps in the morning.

Thanks to apps like Google Maps that track everyone’s whereabouts, we can quite easily predict how long our commute is going to be. The news and radio are helpful, but nothing beats seeing exactly where the traffic is on your route and at whatever time you please. If you find that there is too much traffic on your regular route, you can also easily map an alternative route that avoids the busiest roads.

While on the route, Google will also show you where the most congestion is, so you can expect it before you get there. This is a big stress reliever as there is very little worse than an unexpected stop.

Stick to your route and routine.

We just said that you can use Google Maps to help find an alternative route, but that isn’t always a good option. If you want a less stressful drive, it is better to have one route that you take and stick to it. Side streets can sometimes be even more stressful and it might only save you a few minutes. So, pick a good route and stick to it.

Give yourself extra time.

Sometimes being told to leave earlier can give just as much stress as the traffic itself. If we could all just wake up earlier and leave the house earlier, we might not be in this congested traffic mess. However, allowing an extra 10 to 15 minutes in the morning to get ahead of some of the worst traffic can mean a big difference to your mental health. So, if you have it in you, give it a try.

Get something to relax to.

At some point, we have to learn to accept our fate. Heavy traffic is something we are going to have to deal with at some point. We can definitely find ways to make this a lot easier though. We recommend finding a podcast you enjoy or an audiobook to listen to on your journey.

Let others stress about darting around to try to shave 2 minutes of their commute. Take it as easy as you can, listen to your podcast or audiobook and have a stress free drive.

Buy a car that is comfy to drive.

If you are not in the position to buy a new car, we know your pain. But if you are currently looking for the car you are going to commute in, make sure it is a comfortable one. One pedal EVs (electric vehicles) are a fantastic help to this and they save on fuel and emissions. Smart Cruise control on the other hand can be a life-changer. Set it up and you can spend most of your time in gridlock relaxing.

There you have it. Five things you can try to add to your life to make the annoying commute less so. We would like to add a few don’ts:

• Don’t start using your phone unless it is to press play on the podcast and that’s it.
• Don’t honk just because traffic is stuck. Your just making yours and everyone else’s life annoying.
• Don’t meditate or any other similar practises. Your eyes need to be on the road.

We wish you safe and stress-free driving!

Inspiration: Jalopnik