How to de-stress on your daily commute in New York City

The anxiety of commuting can be triggered by a range of worries. From being in a hot, overcrowded car to facing delay frustrations, there’s nothing fun about the many hours spent each week traveling around a busy city such as New York.

Commuting is an unavoidable part of daily life. Every day, over 5 million people ride the New York City subway. 56% of NYC commutersgenerally use public transit, while about 41% of New Yorkers use the subway to commute to work. Your daily commute can derail your emotional and physical health while you squeeze into crowded trains and buses, and onto overloaded highways.

The first step in reducing the commute stress in New York is to find the home or apartment that’s right for you. You can find luxury New York apartments for sale through Compass.com luxury listings or just partner with a local real estate agent to find the home that’s right for you.

Reduce stress by sharpening your mind with a good book

Reading has countless benefits. It’s so difficult to find time for it, yet it’s so simple to do. Social media, mobile phones, streaming shows, and games are taking more of our free time. Since commuting is a regularly scheduled activity, it’s probably the best time that should be dedicated to reading a book. Reading is a brain builder and a great escape from stress. It stimulates the brain’s neural pathways, reducing stress by about 70%.

Boost your creativity with music

Listening to music is one of the best ways of managing stress. It helps in suspending awareness of time and trains the mind to process information faster. Happy music helps to fuel creativity – an essential component to innovative thinking and problem-solving. Don’t just enjoy background music while engaging in other activities – listen to your favorite song actively during the morning commuting time. It’s both a mind and mood booster.

Work out as you go to work

Whether you are driving or riding transit, it’s possible to get fit on your commute. First, be mindful of your balance and posture, and then take a breath and stretch. Depending on the stop you choose on your transit commute or where you decide to park, add a longer walk for the remaining part of the way. If you live close enough, consider biking as your new transportation mode, and don’t forget to sign up for bicycle benefits. Choose the stairs instead of using the escalators and elevators. A substantial amount of exercise on your way will enhance a positive mood that will last the rest of the day.

Prepare your day’s action plan

From the moment that a day at work begins, it may feel like it goes by like a blur with missed opportunities. This is because a typical workday is filled with projects, meetings, calls and deadlines. The morning commute provides a great opportunity for you to visualize the day ahead, and to plan for meetings as you review the mental notes you’ve been taking over time. Planning well in advance helps you to be prepared and in the moment for anything.

Snack on chocolate as you go home

After an exhausting day at work, treat yourself to some dark chocolate as you head home. According to studies, chocolate that is highly concentrated with cacao has been proved to alleviate the effects of stress and anxiety.

Your company’s commuter benefits program can help

Whether you commute by train, car, bus, ferry, bike or subway, enrolling in the commuter benefits program of your company means that you’ll save money daily by commuting using tax-free dollars. If you can use these savings to switch from driving to transit, you will save more by reducing your car’s maintenance costs, fuel, and carbon emissions to save the environment.

They say, “Getting there is half the fun.” While this may be true for a long-overdue vacation, getting to work is a totally different story. Rising tolls, traffic, fare costs, and unexpected delays can make the morning commute a challenge before the stresses of the working day. You need to find ways to take on this challenge and turn it into an opportunity to strengthen the body, relax, and expand the mind.

Commuting doesn’t have to be stressful. Whether it’s in the morning when going to work or in the evening as you head home after a long day in the office, use the above stress-reducing tips to calm your mind and improve your mood the next time you commute.