How to switch off while you commute |  |
“The shortest route to changing your thought pattern is to find a task that is the total opposite to your work and completely absorbs the mind,” says Prof Cropley. “For an accountant who looks as a screen for ten hours a day, for example, cycling home – a physical activity where you have to be aware of traffic around you – is ideal.” In a survey of 2,500 cycle commuters published last year, 89 per cent said cycling helped them to switch off from the working day. People who drive to and from work are the most stressed and least able to concentrate, according to a 2014 study by the University of East Anglia - even public transport was found to be better for stress levels, because it provides time to socialise or read.
On more mindless forms of transport try the 10-minute 'body scan’: “Take a breath in and focus on the sensation – the air rushing through your nose, your chest rising – then breathe out. Let your mind travel all around your body, feeling every movement and concentrating on the present. If a thought comes to mind, acknowledge it, but – like a passing cloud – let it drift off again.” As your breathing slows, your blood pressure will drop and muscles naturally relax.
Reference: Daily Telegraph
On more mindless forms of transport try the 10-minute 'body scan’: “Take a breath in and focus on the sensation – the air rushing through your nose, your chest rising – then breathe out. Let your mind travel all around your body, feeling every movement and concentrating on the present. If a thought comes to mind, acknowledge it, but – like a passing cloud – let it drift off again.” As your breathing slows, your blood pressure will drop and muscles naturally relax.
Reference: Daily Telegraph
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