The Meditative State of the Commute
The new year is nearly upon us. Many of us are working from home and will continue well into the new year.
The commute to work is a ritualized practice for many of us. Our routine to get out the door and onto our workplace is habitual. After a while, the drive to work becomes so much of a habit, anyone can drive to work without thinking about it.
This is why there have been times I’ve driven the path to work not meaning to. I’ll be in the car with a different destination in mind. I’ll get lost in thought and my habits take over. Next thing you know, I’ve taken the exit to get to the office.
Although for many, the traffic to and from work is agonizing, it still provides a kind of meditative state. Part of your brain is allowed to shut off. The habit of driving your commute takes over, enabling your body and mind to gear up for work or gear down, depending on what direction you’re going.
What about now when we are work from home?
There isn’t a mediative state we can enter into to get ready for work and to wind down for work. We find ourselves in one endless cycle of waking up, working, and going to bed. The physical act of driving gives our mind a concrete signal that work is beginning or ending.
I have found in the nine months of working from home that meditation in the mornings and the evenings has replaced the lulling meditative state driving my commute had once provided for me. If you find yourself feeling like you are on an endless wheel with no beginning or end to your day, I suggest you try meditation to signal to your mind and body where one part of your day begins and the other ends.
In the mornings, I use the Shine App, a mediation app that is aimed specifically to women of color. I love it and am a daily user. In the evenings, my daughter and I do a bedtime mediation from Moshi. The mediations are kid friendly and created in a way to keep kids engaged. We love it.
Other meditation apps to choose from are:
- Headspace
- Calm
- Insight Timer
- Inscape
- Enso
- Sattva
- Aura
Find a meditation app that fits you and your needs. Try to use meditation to bookend your day. For me, it’s helped fight off quarantine blues and gives my day structure.
