Commuting to work is a usual practice for those living near a big city that have jobs in the city. It seems easy to do at first, but after just a few months it can be a real problem and a big cause of stress.

Lydia Smith, a UK journalist, wrote about her experience a beginner freelance and how commuting daily from London to Manchester affected her emotional and professional life. This is an eloquent example of how commuting impacts the worker.

Recent studies showed common problems that appear at commuters like:

• reduced job satisfaction. Every extra minute spent going to work equals discontent about the job itself and worsens mental health.
• obesity or just gaining a few pounds. The hours you spend just sitting in trains or the car are obviously not good for your body. Even more if the job you are travelling to is mostly static.

That ’20 minutes to work’ might not seem much, but going past some time limits can have some long-term effects on you. Think about this when you choose commuting.

And don’t forget that you can actually change something to make yourself feel better: the workplace, or the place you live.