Today's daily trip to work often involves high stress. The journey is frequently too long; the traffic is frequently too heavy; and the cost of gas is way too high. You don't have to be stressed out over all this because these eight de-stress techniques really work!

1. Leave earlier in the morning. You don't have to feel victimized by traffic gridlock. Strive to arrive an hour or even two hours early, at least one or a few days a week. Use this time to take an energizing walk, and then start work a few minutes early to organize your day's priorities.

2. Leave work later. Juggle your schedule to leave at a different time so that you're not always trapped in the heaviest traffic even if you only do this twice each week. Take a course at a nearby community college, or spend an hour at the local library. Stay late one night and have a after-hours social gathering with your buddies to let the bulk of the traffic pass by.

3. Whittle down your gas bill. Alleviate some of the financial stress that comes with paying higher gas prices by making sure your car is tuned up. Have you checked the level of inflation of your tires? If they are not inflated properly, they can burn more gasoline. Replace clogged air filters. Also save gas by lightening up the load in your car trunk.

4. Relax. If the gridlock you're caught up in can't be avoided, just take a deep breath and breathe consciously like this until you become calm again and can place your thinking on the road and off your distress. Stress is contagious, so don't become an instigator or a victim of road rage on today's already stress-congested highways.

5. Learn. Keep a book-on-tape or book-on-CD to entertain or teach you while you are sitting in traffic. Public libraries have huge selections of histories, motivational recordings, language lessons, business tips, biographies and other topics.

6. Don't talk on your cell phone. Cell phones are becoming an increasing cause of traffic accidents, which is why many cities are banning cell phone talk on the road. Don't do it. In an emergency, pull over and off the highway and come to a complete stop before you make a call.

7. Accept the inevitable. Sometimes unexpected traffic tie-ups can make you late. It's a common denominator among today's commuters, so keep that in mind before you worry that your boss or acquaintance won't understand. Besides, accelerating and braking too much in traffic also uses more fuel. Be accepting (and safe!) instead of stressed.

8. Consider mass transit. Instead of dreading getting behind the wheel, you'll look forward to letting someone else do the driving while you read or plan your day's schedule on paper. Besides, a healthy walk to the bus stop is one more way to make exercise part of your day!