Think about your commute. Did your blood pressure just rise? Those traffic jams, red lights, road rage-ing people cutting you off, slowpokes clogging up the left lane — our commute to work is often filled with myriad small stresses, which can build up over time and negatively affect our health. This graphic below highlights the ways your commute can become the killer commute. People who commute longer:
- Worry more
- Are angrier
- Are less happy
- Are more prone to divorce
- Have fewer social connections
- Have more back and neck problems
- Have worse health (higher blood pressure, higher cholesterol, worse sleep quality, are less fit, and have more heart attacks)
How do you deal with your commute? Have you found ways to keep your stress level down even when stuck in a line of vehicles longer than the eye can see? We want to hear from you. And if you’re looking for ways to change your commute, Greater Mercer TMA can help. We have plenty of information, resources, and assistance to get out of your car. We have a great program for green commuters, which you can register for here; a Park and Ride Locator, where you can find a convenient location to meet your carpool or vanpool; information on rideshare parking permit at the Princeton Junction Train Station; information on how to find a carpool that works for you; info on how to find or start up a vanpool; information on telecommuting; and many resources on riding the bus and train, and bicycling and walking.
