Traffic in Malaysia seems to have gotten much worse and has seen a two-fold increase compared to pre-pandemic times in 2019 as more people return to work. More jams seem to be occurring across the city, and not just during peak hours.
According to the TomTom Traffic Index, congestion at peak hours in the morning and evenings in the capital has become worse compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic. In the latest report has shown that motorists in Klang Valley are estimated to spend at least 44 hours a month in their vehicles being stuck in traffic jams.
The report has made me ponder and start to calculate how many hours I spent on the road daily, monthly, and yearly?
To my shock that every day on weekday, I spent approximately 4hrs on the road (to send my boy to school, to travel to work and coming home.) Besides the jam, it is also because my workplace is 100km away from my house.
4 hours a day, 20 hours a week, 80 hours a month, 960 hours a year which is equivalent to 40 DAYS!
OMG, I SPEND 40 DAYS PER YEAR ON THE ROAD/IN THE CAR!!
I was stunned with these numbers and asking myself repeatedly:
What did I do during the time in the car?
Did I accomplish something?
How much time I’ve just wasted on the road?
There is no doubt that the stress arising from being stuck in a traffic jam can also influence the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of individuals.
Do I take care of my well-being?
This has been a daily routine and I was caught in this swirl unconsciously. I think not just me, but many people around me are facing the same as well. We are all stuck!
How can we breakthrough this? The least is how can we make use of the time on the road wisely? How can we create value from this problem?
My encounter with GMF Fellowship Programme has been a great help to take care of my well-being when I am STUCK on the road.
I have learnt to appreciate the nature more, I always enjoying seeing the changes of clouds in the sky, the different trees and plants along the roadside or even the rain during the rainy day. Sometimes I even stopped at the roadside to take the photo of the nature. It has somehow been soothing me from the stress of stuck in the jam. (photo taken at the highway)
Besides, I like to observe the surrounding and people too. Observing different reaction of people who also same like me stuck in the car and what do they do can be very entertaining.
Of course, It’s also a good time to be in silent, time to have deep questioning and dialogue with self. It has been a good help for my diary keeping and journaling.
The breathing exercise is also one of my favorites to do in the car. It allows me to pay attention to what’s happening in the field of my sensation in the present moment.
What will you do when you are stuck in the jam on the road?