After a long day at work, your commute home should be a time to relax and recharge. While everyone is different, here are some tips to enjoy the drive and arriving home ready to tackle what lies ahead.
Keep Up On Repairs
This may sound silly, but driving a vehicle that is in need of repairs can severely inhibit your ability to relax. Whether consciously or subconsciously, worrying about getting from point a to point b safely can put a real damper on your mood.
Adjust Your Seat
For those with longer commutes, this is increasingly important. Studies show that bad posture can not only cause physical stress and soreness, but also mental stress. Taking a few minutes to adjust your stead and provide your lower back with the support it needs will go a long way in making sure you arrive home feeling great.
Take Time to Unplug
There is no arguing that we live in a highly digital world. For many of us, that means we are always accessible via social media, text, or a slew of other communication platforms. While this can be great in terms of productivity, it can also have a negative impact on our ability to stand back and unplug. Taking time during your commute home to unplug, rewind, and fir self-reflection can have an exponential impact on your mental clarity and peacefulness for the rest of the evening.
Keep a Clean Car
For those of us with children, we can all agree that keeping a spotless car is a tall tale belonging only in fiction. However, study after study has proven that clutter can drastically increase stress levels and remind individuals of work that still needs to be done. Taking the time to remove yesterday’s coffee cup or your morning protein bar’s wrapper can go a long way in creating a peaceful environment for your afternoon commute.
Lose the Race Mentality
One of the most effective ways to have a relaxing car ride home is to lose the race mentality. Our natural instinct is to get upset when there’s traffic, or the person in front of us is going 5 miles under the speed limit. Whether you’re on your way to a dinner party or to pick your children up from an after school activity, we understand the circumstances when you would rather not be late. However, for a normal afternoon when there isn’t a time restriction, what’s the rush? Sure you might not want to spend hours upon hours in your vehicle after working all day, but being delayed a few minutes is no reason to get upset and put yourself in a bad mood for the near future.