<story><title>Things You Can Do That Will Make You Happier</title><url>http://www.social-consciousness.com/2013/10/ten-simple-things-you-can-do-today-that-will-make-you-happier-backed-by-science.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>therobot24</author><text>I think the long commute tip is accurate overall, however can be mitigated.  Before going back to grad school, my job required a long commute (easily 60 minutes each way). Getting up early bothered me, but the drive to work was fine as local radio morning shows were pretty good (though over the course of only 4 years of this commute, schedules changed removing 3 nationally syndicated shows, and 2 local shows before just setting on NPR...FM radio seems to be a cruel world).  However, driving home was the worst...just the worst, even when listening to music off of my mp3 player, if i was running late to leave by even a few minutes the commute home could take an extra 15.  I was much more stressed at the end of each day just from driving, and by the time i made and ate dinner i&amp;#x27;d only really have ~2 hours to relax before having to go to bed to get up and start again.  The unhappiness timeline:&lt;p&gt;- Stress turned into a general depression that my weekdays were robotic (sleep, wake, drive, work, drive, eat, sleep)&lt;p&gt;- I found myself becoming a more aggressive driver (more stress = wanting to get home faster)&lt;p&gt;- My general attitude was changing for the worse&lt;p&gt;- I started to alienate my significant other&lt;p&gt;A friend suggested i read a book for some reason and i picked up the audio copy to kill some time on the drive home. This turned out to be a life changer. Instead of focusing on getting home as soon as i could, i was relaxing on my drive. Happiness timeline:&lt;p&gt;- I found myself sitting in my driveway to hear the end of a chapter&lt;p&gt;- Getting home didn&amp;#x27;t mean i needed to retreat to the study for time to unwind&lt;p&gt;- I started driving slower and less aggressive (even letting people cut me off, etc)&lt;p&gt;- My relationship with my SO improved&lt;p&gt;- I felt smarter. My usual reading list is text book chapters to better understand a concept, but i really felt like i was a generally smarter person by including non-fiction.&lt;p&gt;- Most important is that i didn&amp;#x27;t feel like i was wasting time.  Driving became a hobby in some sense, as opposed to a delay of when i can start&amp;#x2F;end my day.&lt;p&gt;By the end of my tenure i sometimes looked forward to my commute, only so i could keep listening. Of course audio books may not be your game, but the thesis is that if you find some way to make you feel like you&amp;#x27;re not wasting your time then you&amp;#x27;ll most likely not mind the commute (for example, my mom calls her mother, my grandmother, everyday on the commute home).</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>svmegatron</author><text>If you like singing, your commute is an &lt;i&gt;awesome&lt;/i&gt; time to practice. Make a mix of some challenging&amp;#x2F;fun sing-along songs and just go for it.&lt;p&gt;And like so many things, if you sing for an hour a day (30 minutes each way!) you will get a LOT better at it.</text></comment>
<story><title>Things You Can Do That Will Make You Happier</title><url>http://www.social-consciousness.com/2013/10/ten-simple-things-you-can-do-today-that-will-make-you-happier-backed-by-science.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>therobot24</author><text>I think the long commute tip is accurate overall, however can be mitigated.  Before going back to grad school, my job required a long commute (easily 60 minutes each way). Getting up early bothered me, but the drive to work was fine as local radio morning shows were pretty good (though over the course of only 4 years of this commute, schedules changed removing 3 nationally syndicated shows, and 2 local shows before just setting on NPR...FM radio seems to be a cruel world).  However, driving home was the worst...just the worst, even when listening to music off of my mp3 player, if i was running late to leave by even a few minutes the commute home could take an extra 15.  I was much more stressed at the end of each day just from driving, and by the time i made and ate dinner i&amp;#x27;d only really have ~2 hours to relax before having to go to bed to get up and start again.  The unhappiness timeline:&lt;p&gt;- Stress turned into a general depression that my weekdays were robotic (sleep, wake, drive, work, drive, eat, sleep)&lt;p&gt;- I found myself becoming a more aggressive driver (more stress = wanting to get home faster)&lt;p&gt;- My general attitude was changing for the worse&lt;p&gt;- I started to alienate my significant other&lt;p&gt;A friend suggested i read a book for some reason and i picked up the audio copy to kill some time on the drive home. This turned out to be a life changer. Instead of focusing on getting home as soon as i could, i was relaxing on my drive. Happiness timeline:&lt;p&gt;- I found myself sitting in my driveway to hear the end of a chapter&lt;p&gt;- Getting home didn&amp;#x27;t mean i needed to retreat to the study for time to unwind&lt;p&gt;- I started driving slower and less aggressive (even letting people cut me off, etc)&lt;p&gt;- My relationship with my SO improved&lt;p&gt;- I felt smarter. My usual reading list is text book chapters to better understand a concept, but i really felt like i was a generally smarter person by including non-fiction.&lt;p&gt;- Most important is that i didn&amp;#x27;t feel like i was wasting time.  Driving became a hobby in some sense, as opposed to a delay of when i can start&amp;#x2F;end my day.&lt;p&gt;By the end of my tenure i sometimes looked forward to my commute, only so i could keep listening. Of course audio books may not be your game, but the thesis is that if you find some way to make you feel like you&amp;#x27;re not wasting your time then you&amp;#x27;ll most likely not mind the commute (for example, my mom calls her mother, my grandmother, everyday on the commute home).</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>cylinder</author><text>I came here to take on the commuting point. Every time I read about how miserable long commutes are, I think of my dad. 45 minutes driving through traffic each way every day. Never hear him complain about it or get in a sour mood over it. He enjoys it.&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#x27;s all about attitude and making the best of your time. In traffic? Release your anger, it wont&amp;#x27; get anywhere. Put on NPR (or whatever you like), take a refreshing tea or juice with you, don&amp;#x27;t rage at moronic drivers, etc.&lt;p&gt;Happiness is about attitude, especially your attitude towards stress. Nothing you can do will eliminate stress in your life. You may shorten your commute, but some other stressor will appear... smaller living quarters, more crime&amp;#x2F;noise in the city, etc.</text></comment>