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A Gentler Commute
For anyone whose trip to work, school or errands leaves them tense before the day has started. Each day is one small way to make time on the road, the train, the bus or the sidewalk calmer and a little more your own.
Stress · Stress · Mindfulness · one to-do a day · you choose how many days
The first seven days
- Day 1Leave five minutes earlier than usual today and notice how the trip feels with a little room in it.
- Day 2Before bed tonight, set your keys, bag and shoes by the door so tomorrow's departure starts unhurried.
- Day 3When you first sit down in the car or your seat, take one full minute to settle before you do anything else.
- Day 4At the first red light or stop today, loosen your grip on the wheel or the strap and let your hands soften.
- Day 5Let one driver merge in front of you today, and notice whether it costs you anything at all.
- Day 6At a stoplight, keep your eyes on the road and take three slow breaths, longer on the out-breath.
- Day 7Choose what you will listen to before you leave, music, a podcast or quiet, rather than reaching for whatever is on.
Further into the year
The to-dos keep changing as the year goes on. A few from later in this theme:
- Day 30At a red light, roll your shoulders back twice while keeping your eyes on the road ahead.
- Day 60Sing one song in the car today, loudly or softly, just for the fun of it.
- Day 120When you find yourself frowning, relax the space between your eyebrows.
- Day 240Leave your bag on the seat beside you only if the bus is empty; otherwise, keep it on your lap and share the space.
- Day 365Choose, from everything you have tried in this challenge, the one habit you most want to keep on every commute.
How a challenge works
A Theraglee challenge is a theme with one small to-do for every day of a year. You choose how long yours runs, anywhere from a week to the full year, and each day you get the next to-do: something that takes a few minutes and fits inside an ordinary day. Tick it off when it is done. Nothing is scored and nothing is lost if you miss a day; the next to-do is simply waiting when you come back.
Challenges come with a free Theraglee account, which never asks for a card. Your progress stays private to you.