De-Stress Your Commute: The Long Road to Work

The Long Road to Work If you're like most Americans, it takes you about 25 minutes to get to work, up from 22 minutes in 1990 and about 9 minutes in 1980. If you live in New York, New Jersey, or Maryland, your commute is even longer, averaging about 30 minutes. Over the course of a year, then, you're spending about five workweeks -- 208 hours -- just getting to and from work!

So it should come as no surprise that in one of the few major studies ever conducted on commuters, researcher Meni Koslowsky, Ph.D., a psychology professor from Bar-Ilan University in Israel and author of the book Commuting Stress, found commuters experienced significantly high levels of stress. However, Dr. Koslowsky also found that not all commuting is created equal, nor is the stress a foregone conclusion.

The tips in this article are designed to help make your commute less stressful, saving precious wear and tear on your heart, brain, immune system, and emotions. And, we promise, providing a calmer start or end to your day.