Is Your Commute Bringing You Down? Here’s How to Cope
Cost of living may have officially beaten out traffic as the most terrible thing about living in Seattle, but that doesn’t mean we’re done complaining about the mess on the roads, which is still bad and getting worse. Seattleites have some of the longest commutes in the country, and close to 61,000 commuters here spend 90 minutes or longer traveling to work each day. And it’s stressing us out.
Unlike the chronic nature of some stressors, such as a hectic job, relationship tension or just trying to keep it all together day in and day out, commuting is more episodic, explains clinical psychologist Dennis Donovan, Ph.D. Generally, you’re exposed to the stressor twice a day, and then you’re able to move on with your life. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t taking a toll.