Four Fairfield County highways ranked in the Top 10 of “Most Congested Corridors in the United States” according to a study by INRIX, a transportation data company. With I-95 South from the Sherwood Island Connector in Westport to Indian Field Road in Greenwich ranking as the #1 “Most Congested Corridor” in the country – beating out major highways in LA, Chicago, and New York City – heavy traffic is something most people despise, but it may have an upside.
According to a recent article by NPR, even though studies show commuting can be bad for your relationships and that 40% of workers would rather scrub their toilet than commute to the workplace, driving to work allows us the experience of being in liminal space – or a boundary that separates one place or state of being from another.
Driving to and from work allows us a separation from the office and home – creating a cushion or transitional period from each other, which is proven to actually have health benefits.
Now before you go and get some dystopian procedure done on your brain like Adam Scott or John Tuturro in Severance, consider this:
On your commute, you have the ability to be detached from all things work. You can make that phone call to a friend or family member you haven’t talked to in forever. You can listen to new music you haven’t heard yet and broaden your aural palette. You can listen to a podcast or an audiobook that might spark some creativity or inspiration in your life. If you carpool, you can have a deep conversation and create a bond in a relationship with someone you otherwise wouldn’t. You can go pick up your favorite food for dinner on your way home. And if traffic is killing you? Take the scenic route.
You can detach and enjoy this transitional period. As studies show, this separation between work and home can be helpful for your state of mind and mental health. It allows you to repair yourself a little bit.
In a space in which you’re expected to do nothing other than driving safely, you can create these un-hindering habits which allow you to grow as a person. So the next time it’s bumper-to-bumper on I-95 and your hand gets tired from pounding on the horn for the last 25 minutes, sit back, try to relax, and engage in one of these beneficial habits, and you never know – it might change your mind about your commute.