RUSH HOUr

rush hour
noun
a time during each day when traffic is at its heaviest

​Apart from forcing us to learn more about anger management, rush hour in the City of London can teach us a lot about ourselves. From avoiding eye contact to testing out your patience, resilience, physical abilities and from choosing the right outfits to learning how to maneuver through the city, rush hour can teach us quite a few things. 

1. eye contacT

If I am on a train or bus or am waiting at a platform and I feel like someone is looking in my direction, the first step is to narrow down the reasons why, for instance: 

1. They are looking past me*
2. They forgot to look away
3. They know me 
4. They are crazy
5. I have something on my face 
6. They like my face 
7. They don't like my face 
8. They are partially sighted
9. They are cross-eyed 
10. They are creepy 

*Most preferable option

The next step is to figure out how to deal with this not-so-comfortable situation. The absolute last option is a risky one... you can stare back at the 'starer' until they hopefully look away (this could backfire, unless you're good at staring games). 

Some tried and tested ideas to keep your eyes and yourself occupied otherwise, include:

1. (Pretend to) sleep 
2. Read a book or newspaper
3. Play Candy Crush 
4. (Re-)Read your WhatsApp messages
5. Go through all your photos 
6. Get some work done
7. Unsubscribe from all your junk emails
8. Meditate (Calm App is pretty good)
9. Read the poster about  'Pregnacare' on repeat
10. Listen to music or watch a movie 
11. Stare out of the window...

2. YOGA 

There will be times when you will be surprised at what your body can do when it doesn't have a choice when travelling on a packed train. Even if it's yoga or your usual stretching exercises.

Here are five things  worth practicing at home prior to rush hour: 
​

1. One-leg stands (to avoid stepping on someone's foot, luggage, child, dog's tail, etc.) 
2. Surf (when you can't hold on to anything on a moving train, you'll need to work on your balancing skills and lower your center of gravity)
3. Neck rotations (for when you have to move your neck to one side to avoid being face to face with a stranger or their armpit...)
4. Arm stretches (you should be able to twist your arm backwards in order to hold the one pole you can just about reach past another five bodies or avoid skin-to-skin contact in the hotter months of Summer)
5. PAŚCIMOTTĀNĀSANA i.e. a forward sitting bend (for when you're lucky enough to get a seat, but unlucky enough to have neighbouring passengers who are large or are selfish enough to take over the arm-rests). 

​Remember: practice makes perfect. 

3. DRESS LIKE AN ONION

I once made the grave mistake of wearing a winter coat, boots, a polo neck thermal top (Heat-Tech ones from UNIQLO), a woolly skirt, hat and gloves in the Central Line in the London Underground during Winter.

Apparently this is the second hottest tube line in London in Summer, but even in Winter, this line is deceiving and you need to have an escape strategy from your very own clothes during any season. 

I learnt the hard way that a polo neck top is not easy to get out of, in general and even more-so during rush hour, while standing in very close proximity to fellow commuters. Even getting out of a jumper or taking a jacket off grabs way more attention during rush hour, than is necessary - compared to a normal environment.

​A lot of squirming and what may look like a bad snake-dance, while keeping a straight face, 'playing it cool' and avoiding eye contact can amuse others while making one quite self-conscious. 

The solution?

​Dress like a onion. Wear several layers of clothes that you can peel off one by one, seamlessly without touching your neighbouring passenger. Stick to thin layers unless you fancy looking like Joey from the TV show Friends when he put on all of Chandler's clothes.

Remember to have enough space in your bag to carry all the layers, before you have to put them all back on once you leave the station to the outside world. 

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4. TOURISTS

We have all been a tourist... yes, and we have possibly annoyed the hell out of the citizens of the city you were visiting who just wanted to: Get to work.

​However much we try to empathise when we are surrounded by tourists in London during rush hour, we can't get over the fact that some: 

• Never stand on the right and walk on the left
• Stand in a circle discussing which station they need to get to, right in front of the ticket barriers or on the staircase to get to the platform
• Stare (please refer to point 1.) 
• Skip the unspoken rules of queuing when the trains arrive on a platform 

The lesson from this is: avoid tourists during rush hour. 

5. SLOW WALKERS 

I'm not referring to people who are older or less able to walk quickly, but I am talking about people who somehow manage to look at their mobile phone, or even more surprisingly read a book while walking down a narrow pathway, oblivious to who or what is behind them. OR people who wear ridiculous shoes or high heels and cannot walk in them... if you can't walk in your shoes, what's the point? 

To top this up, some people overtake you, and then start walking slowly. This actually happens. I will never understand why. 

The good thing about London is that most commuters have learnt to invest in comfortable walking shoes, for speed. Invest in a good pair and you won't be one of the slow walkers annoying everyone else (you can always change into your pretty looking high heels or work shoes at the office). 

6. hygiene

Your best friends when using public transport, apart from real people and entertainment are:

1. Hand sanitiser​
2. A mask (although I haven't picked up the courage to buy or wear one in London yet... but I wish I did) 

These can help us prevent suffering consequences of unwanted pollution. Whether it's a fellow passengers' BO, bad breath, post-night out alcohol sweats, a serial coughing or sneezing neighbor who thinks it's okay not to cover their mouths / noses, or those who didn't find the time to file their nails...and of course actual emissions from cars and buses or construction sites.

For some reason, using some sanitiser after my journey into work makes it all okay (but it does dry out my hands, but we have hand cream for that too). 

To sum all of this up, rush hour may seem impossible to survive on a daily basis, especially when traveling on public transport in London, but it is possible to prepare for it and hopefully master the art of the 'London Commute'.