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If you live in a big urban area you have probably figured out the rush hour in all the different activities that you do. I live in NY and for me rush hour is getting to the subway at 8:40 AM when I go to work and at 6:00 to 6:30 PM when I am coming back from work. For grocery shopping, the supermarket next door has rush hour anytime on Sunday and after 7:00 PM on Monday. The other supermarket, the one that is cheaper but farther away, it’s almost impossible to shop anytime on the weekend. I know this. I have been here long enough to have figured this out. There are tons of other activities where you will face a crowd or that have a “rush hour” but I have seen that these are the two that create the most stress.

If you’ve ever been caught in rush hour, you know is not always a comfortable situation. On the subway or the bus, you might have to ride standing up or surrounded by strangers that are too close for comfort. There is always the driver who can’t break smoothly and you end up bumping with the person in front of you at every stop. In the supermarket, you can’t even push the cart without the risk of hitting someone or yourself be hit by another cart. You can’t stop for 10 seconds to make a choice in the aisle without 5 people walking by saying excuse me. Then there are the cash registers with the lines a mile long and all you want to pay for is a carton of milk and some eggs. And the list goes on and on.

Now, here is where I would like to suggest something; If you can’t handle rush hour, stay out of it. I can’t tell you how many times I have been to the supermarket or boarded the train with people that just can’t handle the rush hour. They are riding the train or shopping in the supermarket like they owned the place. They will scream at you or give you “a look” and say something to themselves just loud enough so you can hear it. For some reason they believe they have a right to be comfortable or shop easily when everyone else isn’t and they are upset if they don’t get their way. Somehow, they think the laws of rush hour don’t apply to them and just because they have been shopping or riding for years they have a bigger right to be there. I am willing to bet we have all since these type of people or maybe have been one ourselves.

The problem is that this attitude helps no one, not even yourself. All you are doing is adding stress to an already stressful situation. It makes the experience worst for you and for everyone you come in contact with. If you walk into a supermarket during rush hour you already know what you are walking into. It is what it is and no amount of whining, screaming and cursing is going to change that. If you don’t have the patience to handle it, stay out during rush hour and let the rest of the people be.

You have choices. You can go to the supermarket at a different day or a different time or you could shop online – Fresh Direct is great option if you live in NY. If you have to use public transportation to go to work, you can wake up earlier in order to leave before everyone else. You can also leave later after rush hour has passed. Now, if you don’t have any choice – which I seriously doubt – than just accept it and be patient. You are not adding anything good by bringing a bad attitude into the situation. On the contrary, just think of how much better the ride or the shopping experience would be if everyone was nicer. None of the people who happen to be using the service at the same time as you are doing it to annoy you or get in your way. They are there for the same reason as you are and have equally the same right. Be patient.

While I can accept the general premise and scientific conclusions in the annotated diagram above, I do think that some of the more creative reasons for highway stoppages are missed within its limited scope:

1) Hot coffee accident
2) Text messaging at 120
3) Oral sexcapades
4) Sleepdriving
5) Trying to find a playlist on an mp3 player
6) Tilting one's head back to talk into the Bluetooth speaker four inches above one's head
7) Roadkill, or soon-to-be roadkill
8) Air guitar solos inspired by classic rock stations
9) Nickelback song inspires self-immolation
10) Out of reach Cheeto