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Commuting is a part of daily life. As one comedian put it, “Think of the subway as going to a party at a stranger’s studio apartment at 7 in the morning with 800 other people who all hate each other. Doesn’t that sound like fun? No one wants to be there.”
Over 4.3 million people ride the New York City subway every day, with 41% of New Yorkers using the subway to commute to work and 56% of commuters who use public transit in general. Jersey City and Washington D.C. are right behind New York City, with 46% and 38% of commuters using public transit, respectively. Boston and San Francisco have nearly 35% of their commuters on public transit.
The anxiety of riding on the subway can be triggered by a range of worries. You might get angry when you're in a hot, overcrowded car, frustrated at a long delay, or afraid of being pushed onto the track. Learn how to reduce the stress of your commute.
1. Stay hydrated, eat a high-protein breakfast, and save that second cup of coffee for the office.
I was once called to help a young woman who was having a panic attack on the subway. She had no medical problems. She explained that she had felt lightheaded and got more and more anxious, which led to a panic attack. She hadn't eaten any breakfast and didn't have any water that morning. Being dehydrated plus having low blood sugar can cause you to feel lightheaded or sick, which your body interprets as anxiety. So if you face a long, crowded commute in the morning, drink plenty of water and eat a solid breakfast. Since too much caffeine can also cause anxiety, save that extra cup of coffee for the office instead.
2. Try deep breathing, audio guided meditations, or music.
Deep breathing is a useful and effective tool to calm down your nerves on a crowded or delayed commute.
- Close your eyes and start to slow and even your breath.
- Take a deep breath in through the nose and count to 4 seconds.
- Hold your breath in for 2 seconds.
- Exhale slowly for 4 seconds.
- Repeat this cycle 10 times.
- Focus on your breath — you'll notice your stress start to melt away.
Audio meditations are helpful to create a calm space in your mind. Download free guided meditations that take you through relaxing visualizations or allow you to focus on your body or breath. Take your mind into a relaxing mental space — this can give you extra room that the person next to you won't.
3. Nip your fears in the bud before they spiral.
Write down your thoughts to take them out of your head. The thoughts in your mind can feel very realistic, but most likely, when you write them down, you'll realize that your fears aren't rational.
Figure out how realistic your fears are: What if the power goes out? What if people notice I'm anxious and laugh at me? What if I will be stuck on the train forever? Extremely unlikely. Sure, you might get delayed or people might notice that you're upset, but what's the worst thing that could happen? Our minds can spin out of control when we're anxious. Our thoughts get less and less rational. So it's important to stop those negative thoughts as soon as possible.
4. Take a step back and write down your thoughts and the facts:
- What are you afraid of?
- How likely will that happen?
- What is the worst case scenario?
Take, for example, the fear of being pushed onto the tracks. Yes, you should stay back from the tracks, not run on a crowded platform, and be vigilant of your surroundings. If you've dropped your phone or keys on the tracks, do not go and get them yourself. These are reasonable precautions, but should you be really fearful of being pushed onto the tracks?
The New York Metro Transportation Authority reports that from 2001 to 2012, an average of 134 people were injured by subway trains, resulting in about 41 fatalities per year. In 2012, 141 people were hit by trains, leading to 55 fatalities. But more than 20% of the injuries were intentional, due to suicide attempts.
Most people accidentally tripped or fell onto the track or intentionally entered the tracks, most commonly to retrieve something. A significantly smaller number (5 out of 141) were pushed.
Given that there were approximately 1.66 billion subway rides in 2012, the chance of you accidentally getting struck by a subway train is less than one per every 25 million rides. This is less than the chance of being struck by lightning.
5. Rage isn't going to make the train move faster.
You might find yourself dealing with "road rage" when you hear the conductor talk about train delays ahead of you or when someone bumps into you on a crowded train. Take a moment and notice if you're starting to fill with negative and angry thoughts like "Why is this person standing so close?" or "Why is that person taking up the entire pole?" or "I knew I should have left earlier." Try to notice these thoughts and just let them go.
The more that your mind dwells in anger and judgment, the more you will end up having a worse commute. Your fight-or-flight response gets activated, meaning your heart rate and blood pressure will go up and you'll start to sweat. Is it worth it to you to put your body through this? Will it make the train move any faster?
Choose to spend the time doing something for yourself-- whether it's listening to music or as simple as writing down a grocery list.
6. If you've had a few drinks before your commute home, take extra precaution.
Alcohol, certain medications that can cause drowsiness, or drugs can make it difficult to stay alert on the subway. Almost one-fourth of the injuries on the subway in 2012 were subway riders who had taken drugs or alcohol. Furthermore, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, stimulants, and marijuana can also increase the risk of panic attacks.
7. Don't let your anxiety lead to avoiding subways.
Avoidance means you never give yourself the chance to prove that you can be fine on the subway. Find less stressful ways to take the subway. Try travelling during non-rush hour times or via lines that have fewer crowds to get used to being on the subway.
8. If the fear is affecting your ability to get to work or see friends, get a consultation from a doctor.
Anxiety is extremely common, and it is also treatable. Psychiatrists can help you get rid of anxiety by working with you through talk therapy and short-term medications, if needed. If you find yourself not able to make it to work or avoiding seeing friends because you have to take the subway, consider consulting a psychiatrist that specializes in anxiety and panic disorder. Seek treatment early.
Connect with Dr. Wei on Twitter @newyorkpsych
Subscribe to her Psychology Today blog Urban Survival.
Copyright Marlynn Wei, MD, PLLC 2015
The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to create any patient-physician relationship and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.
