Traffic is one of the stressors of Filipinos when they travel for work or go home. You have to adjust your time and route. Once you reach 5 or 6 pm time, you’ll have difficulty in commuting. According to BGC survey, Metro Manila ranks third in south-east Asia in terms of cities with the worst traffic.  Even if you own a vehicle or ride a metro, you can’t escape traffic. The good news is you can make ways to reduce stress from traffic and still arrive on time. 
 

Eat healthy foods

The way you eat controls your body’s physiological response to situations being at the centre of hordes of vehicles. Some foods can help your body cope with stressful and anxiety-causing situations while others exacerbate your stress levels. 

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Get enough sleep

The number of sleep can affect your concentration span and eventually work performance. According to some internet sources, sleep deprivation can slowly kill a person and his/her career. Some of the side effects of lack of sleep include hallucination, lack of concentration, risks of type 2 diabetes, impaired immune system, risks of stroke and heart disease, poor vision, headaches, migraines, weight gain and colds. Here’s a video of what happens if you stopped sleeping. A good or enough sleep leads to preparedness for tomorrow’s working day.

The recommended sleep depends on your age.

Age group                                            Amount of sleep needed

Infants                                            14 - 17 hours per day

12 months                                      10 hours per night, and 

                                    1 - 2 hours for an afternoon nap

2 years                                            11 - 12 hours per night and 

                                                        1 - 2 hours for an afternoon nap

Teenagers (14 to 17 years)             8 - 10 hours

Adults (18 to 64 years)                    7 to 8 hours

Listen to Music 

Research showed that music influences physiological variables such as heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, EEG measurements, galvanic skin response and body temperature. In fact, music can cause your skin to show goosebumps - also called aesthetic chills, skin orgasm and musical chills. Applied to traffic, music may give drivers and commuters with stimulation while undergoing the monotonous task - getting used to traffic jams.

According to research from the University of Parma (Italy), University of São Paulo  (Brazil), and University of Oxford Brookes, listening to music decreases stress caused by traffic. They made the study by asking the volunteers to drive on the busy streets of Marilia town in northwestern Sao Paulo. The volunteers were fitted with sensors that can detect heart rate variability.  Another research showed that relaxing music can reduce anxiety.

A survey reported that out of 2,000 drivers, those fans of classical and pop music are relaxed drivers compared to those who listen to rock and metal music.

The researchers recommended listening to instrumental or classical music to reduce stress while driving or commuting. 

Some of the relaxing music:

• Romantic music by Bach, Chopin, Liszt & Ravel
• Bossa nova instrumentals
• Jazz music 

Benefits of music while commuting/driving:

• Eases your boredom
• Helps in passing time
   

Listen to Podcast

Podcasts are audio files of discussions (one or two more people) discussing news, review, facts of the day, mysteries, Q & A, documentaries and stories. Listening to podcasts can help you become a better listener, more emphatic, and imaginative. You’ll increase your knowledge and skills through language learning and self-improvement podcasts. Like listening to music, podcasts can help you get away with traffic boredom while inside a bus and car. 

You can listen to podcasts via live streaming (uses data) or wifi through these apps:

• Apple Podcasts
• Breaker
• Castaway 2
• Castbox
• Laughable 
• Overcast
• Pocket Casts
• Podbean
• Radioben
• Soundcloud
• Spotify
• Stitcher
• TuneIn Radio

Plan ahead of time

You can reduce being caught in traffic jams or getting late by:

• Use an alternate route - Follow a safe road or street that are less congested. For the same destination, you can use the second or third route instead of the usual/common route for commuting. For example, when you want to go to Cainta from Ortigas (a high traffic route) use Cubao - Libis - Floodway or Cubao - Marcos-Highway - Sta. Lucia. 

• Use a smartphone app - You can download various apps such as Google, Yandex, Bing and Waze apps.

• Travel during the off-peak period - If your work is flexible or falls within the off-peak period - between 10 am to 4 pm.

Use and learn through apps

Walk towards your workplace

If you are only a few kilometres (2 or less) and you like to exercise, you can beat traffic by walking. Numerous internet articles and websites point to the benefits of walking. An added bonus, walking is a low-intensity exercise that doesn’t need expensive equipment, difficult workouts, training or a strong will to continue. Here are the benefits:

• Reduces visceral fat (abdominal fat)
• Increases cardiovascular (heart) and pulmonary (lung) fitness
• Improves management of medical conditions in people who have diabetes and cardiovascular problems.
• Improves creative thinking 
• Strengthens leg muscles
• Boosts Immunity
• Burns calories
• Extends your life span

Notes: 

1. Bring extra clothing for work

2. Wear comfortable and loose clothing

3. Wear comfortable and sturdy shoes.

4. Bring a water bottle to stay hydrated.

5. Add 30 minutes to 1-hour allowance before the start of your work. This prevents a stressful situation when you’re hurrying up and running because you have only 10 minutes left before the start of your work.

The above benefits of walking can improve your mood and therefore your work productivity.