Two new surveys have put the spotlight on the quality of life in the country's growing communter belt. Fiona Tyrrelllooks at the curse of the modern commute and gets some tips on how to avoid commuting-related stress
ALISON REILLY has had enough. The self-professed "home bird" moved back to her hometown of Navan last September. Twelve months are barely up and she's already viewing apartments to rent in Dublin.
"Commuting takes over your whole life. I sit for over two hours in the car every day and spent the rest of the day worrying about traffic.
"Getting up at 6.15am in the morning to beat the traffic is bad enough, but I find the evenings the toughest. When I get home often after 7pm all I am fit for is the couch. The gym and socialising are totally out the window."
The 27-year-old originally moved to Meath with her boyfriend because she couldn't afford to buy a house in Dublin, but for now she is happy to go back to life as a renter - just so long as she can walk to work on Tara Street.
It's the lack of control over time which proves to be the biggest problem for commuter James Doorley, who travels to work by bus from Ashbourne, Co Meath to Dublin's St Stephen's Green every day. The 15-mile journey takes one-and-a-half to two hours.
Still, despite not knowing what time he will arrive at work and whether he will arrive wet, it is preferable to driving, says Doorley, who gave up the stressful drive a year ago.
A survey conducted by the Labour Party and published last week sheds light on the quality of life of commuters living in the Louth, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow areas. People surveyed reported that their commute to work had increased by 30 per cent in the past five years and more than half reported that they had no involvement in their local community.
A study on the effects of traffic congestion undertaken by small firms lobby group SME paints a grimmer picture. Its survey of the commuting life of Irish owner-managers reveals that commute times have increased by 74 per cent in the last five years.
Car commute times have increased by 17 minutes to 40 minutes nationally and by 19 minutes to 49 minutes in Dublin. This, according to ISME, equates to a massive 8.8 working weeks commuting or four weeks extra per driver.
Senator Dominic Hannigan, the Labour Party's spokesman on the commuter belt, describes how it is not uncommon for people living on the commuter belt to leave home at 6am, returning well after 7pm, with some people spending up to four hours in their cars.
For those who are lucky enough to have access to public transport, the quality of the commute is often an issue, he says.
"Trains and buses are overcrowded - I regularly hear of people being jammed in and having to stand all the way to Dublin. Under these circumstances, people arrive at work frazzled, and by the time they get home they're exhausted."
Gripping the steering wheel, white-knuckled, for a 90-minute commute or battling for a seat on an overcrowded train can do a lot more than just fray your nerves. Study after study has shown that the stress and frustration associated with commuting can have adverse effects on your health.
Research has shown that the prolonged effects of commuting include cardiovascular problems such as increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure and back problems.
Stress will also prompt the body to produce excess adrenaline - the body's natural response to stressors.
But when you are stuck in traffic with literally nowhere to go, this natural fight-or-flight reaction is counter-productive, explains psychologist Karen Belshaw, who specialises in stress management. Relaxation and tension-relieving techniques (see panel), will help counteract this, she says.
When it comes to quality of life, commuting has a lot to answer for.
Research conducted in Switzerland found that people who commute for longer than average report being less satisfied in life, according to David Comerford, a researcher at University College Dublin's Geary Institute, who is about to embark on a study of Irish commuting.
He also points to research in the United States, which has revealed that people rate commuting as the most negative of their regular daily episodes.
Successive international studies have shown that commuting stress is exacerbated by the inability to control the situation. Conor Faughnan of AA Roadwatch says it is important to recognise that it is natural to feel frustrated.
"If you are on a bike or walking it is possible to side step or skirt around some of the traffic, or at the very least make verbal or eye contact with fellow travellers, but in a car you are literally trapped. This will exacerbate the sense of powerless and add to your frustration."
Remind yourself that everyone else is in the same situation and that getting stressed or losing your temper will not help improve things, he advises.
Frustration associated with commuting leads people to undertake unusual and unsafe activities in their car. Mobile phone use is the most common of these unsafe activities. Others include shaving, make-up application, eating breakfast (cereal, milk and bowl!) and even reading the newspaper stretched over the steering wheel.
Zen and the art of commuting: tips to make the most of the trip
RELAX:Instead of getting irritated at the traffic, the road and fellow road users, use your commute as a chance to relax. An easy technique that is safe to use in the car is simply inhaling through the nose for the count of four and exhaling for a count of five. Doing this for just three minutes will be enough to reduce stress levels and get you into a better frame of mind.
RELIEVE STRAIN:Tension and strain are a big side effect of long or stressful commutes. A handy way to relieve tension is a technique called PMR (progressive muscle relaxation). Squeeze both fists for five seconds and then release. Then move up to the forearm tensing different muscle areas and releasing. Work your way up the body, through your shoulders, neck and face and watch the tension disappear.
THINK TIME:One of the biggest complaints of modern life is not having enough time. Put the time you spend in the car, bus or train to good use. Plan that party, analyse that meeting, formulate daily, monthly and even life goals or simply give your mind the time and space to wander. For bus or train commuters, the journey into work is an ideal time to catch up on your reading. Try not to spend it on work- related tasks all the time - read for pleasure.
BE POSITIVE:Instead of sitting in traffic thinking about how late you are running or how much you hate the Red Cow roundabout, work on gathering positive thoughts. The first step is to listen to your internal conversations. You will be surprised by how many negative thoughts are knocking around your head. Then try to think of positive aspects of your current situation and all the things in your life you have to be grateful for.
CAR POOL:On a practical level, car pooling is a great option for people who have regular work hours. Aside from helping to reduce traffic congestion and cutting costs, having someone else in the car is good for morale when facing gridlock and long commutes.
AUDIO AIDS:The radio is a great source of entertainment and release for all drivers. If you are tired of listening to the same old rubbish, get organised and download podcasts from the internet.
Hours lost to commuting can also be used to catch up on your reading, thanks to audiobooks. More and more audiobooks are being released, which are available from most good book shops and many public libraries. Take it a step further and invest in an audio language course. Anyone for learning Mandarin Chinese on the M50?
AVOID THE RAGE:Don't get sucked into someone else's road rage. Tempting as it is to respond to that road hog who nips in front of you or the horn blaster behind you, the expert advice is "don't go there".
Remind yourself that they will only be 10ft closer to the office when you all grind to a halt a mile down the road - an angry response will only exacerbate the situation.
Life is too short.