How do you unwind on the commute

[MeditationTrain]

I have 2 young children and have gone back to work full time since having kids. I work condensed hours, so finish at 4 and am home by 5. I have quite an easy commute (5 min walk, 30 min train, 15 min bus, quick walk). When I get in, my boys are desperate for my attention and need tea, homework, bath and bed, ideally done cheerfully and patiently.

But when I get in after a full days work and the commute I feel so tightly wound. I enjoy my job but I think I’m struggling with switching gears. All I want to do is collapse on the sofa for 30 minutes to decompress. Does anyone have tips to use their commuting time to unwind so I’m ready to go with the boys when I get home?

I’ve tried podcasts but I have to listen to and digest a lot of information at work, and it feels like more work. I’ve tried meditating on the train like a lemon but can’t quite relax. I don’t want to read as I usually have a low level headache by the time I’m on the train.

Any ideas?

Can you relax and stare out the window? I find to relax I need to do nothing- no music, not even read mumsnet!

What relaxes you when you are on the train?

Chocolate and mumsnet.

Quiet music or just putting my headphones in helps me.

How about noise cancelling headphones?

I drive to commute but my thing t do is listen to Spanish music. It helps me weirdly that the stresses of the day are in English but the belting out and fun is in Spanish and it separates it?

I cycle. Can you swap your 15 minute bus journey for cycling?

I love listening to audio books, the time flies when you're into a good one.

Cycle. I feel exactly as you describe o km days when I use public transport or drive. An hour on my bike clears my head completely and I arrive home feeling alert and refreshed. Most often I cycle 30 mins to the station, and this is also good, but noticeably less so than the longer bike ride.

I read - nothing heavy though. Just stuff that engages my imagination and transports me to a different place.

I sympathise with you and remember those days very well! Do you have any childcare help? I'd also be looking to put in place routines and approaches that make the evenings as pain-free as possible (may be teaching granny to suck eggs here though!)

I download my shows to my phone and end up almost missing my stop and all the nose blowers, loud school children and traffic holdups go completely unnoticed.

Can you get off the bus a stop or two early? I feel the same especially after a long day but I find walking (or running) clears my head the best.
Sometimes when cycling I scared myself that my brain had drifted off.