Author Archives: markdowe1

Health, Research, Science, Society

Is commuting harming our health?

COMMUTING

Intro: Some 4 billion people are known to travel between home and work, school, or college. Is the daily commute just something people love to hate, or a major health hazard?

SOME FORM OF COMMUTING has been part of our daily lives since the Neolithic age, and although many complain about their journeys, research shows that we wouldn’t want it any other way. We’re generally happiest when we have at least some distance between where we sleep and relax, and where we spend the bulk of our day. However, there are limits. People perceive their commute as part of their job, but if it makes us unhappy, we’re more likely to quit – so much so that an extra 20 minutes’ commuting time can reduce job satisfaction by the same amount as a 20 per cent pay cut.

Length of journey is the major factor in commuting: in the morning, your body clock is winding up the brain and body – alertness and attention increases with each passing minute, and if you’re stuck in traffic or a broken-down train during this precious primetime, then the most productive part of your day could be lost in transit. A morning journey of 45 minutes or more seems to be the tipping point at which the journey length starts to take a toll on physical and mental health. Workers who travel over 90 minutes each day are less fit, weigh more, and have higher blood pressure, compared to those with a shorter travel time. Longer commutes are also linked to health issues such as sleep problems, exhaustion, aches and pains, and overeating. Moreover, unpredictable and stressful delays, the chances of which increase the longer your commute, make the biggest negative impact on our health.

The method of travel also plays a part in how healthy your commute is. Driving takes the cake as the most stressful and unhealthiest way to commute. Public transport always comes out better, but simply using your legs to get to work – be it walking, cycling, or jogging – beats both.

Scientists have shown that a “good” commute is one that is long enough to give us time to draw a psychological line between homelife and work – but not so long that it makes us anxious, bored, or tired. Even if you work from home, you can benefit from a “virtual” commute by going for a short walk, run, or cycle to mark the start and end of your working day.

Research suggests that 15 minutes is the optimum length of time for a commute.

Want To Improve Your Commute?

. WALK, JOG, OR CYCLE – moving under your own power releases mood-lifting hormones and increases blood flow to the brain, making you happier and more productive.

. SIMPLIFY JOURNEYS that involve more than one stop; for example taking children to school on the way to work. Multiple-stage trips are the most stressful.

. PLAN YOUR DAY and spend the time mentally adjusting to work mode on the way in, and winding down on the journey home.

. FIND A NEW JOB if your commute is more than 90 minutes long – your health is probably suffering!

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Arts

Keeping a diary or daily journal

A COMPANION

FOR MANY PEOPLE keeping a diary or a daily journal is an essential part of living and will be approaching half-full if you have been running one since the start of this year. But do you tell long stories in yours, or just the basic facts?

Keeping a diary or a daily written record is generally agreed to be a good thing. It helps you remember details and dates, it provides something like a sense of companionship and, in my opinion, it is good for our mental health.

It’s a pastime, too, that has given birth to many a witty one-liner. Mae West said, “Keep a diary, and some day it will keep you.” I suppose it depends on whose names are in it.

Oscar Wilde never went anywhere without his diary, because “One should always have something sensational to read on the train.” Mr Wilde was never one to underestimate his own talent!

We can take those with a pinch of salt and have a laugh, but you may have your doubts when reading the words of a British politician (and enthusiastic diarist) back in the 1940s who said, “What is more dull than a discreet diary? One might just as well have a discreet soul.”

My only question to that fine gentleman would have been: “What in the world is the problem with a discreet soul?” Maybe, though, had I met him, I would have been too discreet to mention it.

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Arts, Books

Book Club: ‘Silverview’ by John Le Carré

SYNOPSIS

JOHN LE CARRÉ’S 26th novel, published after his death in 2020, is set in a small seaside town in East Anglia where 33-year-old Julian Lawndsley has recently renounced a high-flying City career for the quieter occupation of running a bookshop.

It is not long before Julian meets Edward Avon, an old book-lover who lives in a house named Silverview.

Edward claims to have been at school with Julian’s father, a disgraced clergyman, but his past life seems rich in mystery. He is married to Deborah, a former intelligence agent, and it is not long before he asks Julian to deliver a letter to an enigmatic woman.

Meanwhile, a spy chief in London is investigating the source of a leak, whose origins seem to lead him to Julian’s town.

Silverview is a posthumous gem-like and masterful treat for many of his avid readers.

– Published by Penguin, 224pp

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