It's possible to have a stress-free morning

It's that time of the year when we're all back at work, the first month of the year has positively flown by and stress starts to creep into our days.

The mornings are the worst.

A survey by Virgin Mobile found out the biggest sources of stress for Aussies are:

1. Getting stuck in traffic (59%);

2. Encounters with loud and annoying people (55%);

3. Worrying about being late (50%);

4. Missing public transport (40%);

5. Lack of personal space (34%).

Read more: Mindfulness medication for mums

Having driven into work this morning (instead of catching my usual bus) I can second, third and fourth the fact that getting stuck in traffic is the absolute worst.

I'm Italian the loud and annoying person is usually me.

Worrying about being late...well that's just because we have so much on these days with work and the kids and everything else.

I've never quite understood why people freak out so much about missing public transport. I myself have an 'Never Run For The Bus' policy.

Another one always comes along.

Lack of personal space? Once again, Italian. Please crowd me!

Regardless of what stresses you out in the morning, here are five solutions courtesy of technology:

SMILING MIND

Virgin Mobile has joined forces with Smiling Mind to release new mobile based meditations that help make commuting less stressful, available free to download via Apple App Store and Google Play. 

Find out more about the Smiling Mind app here.

REMEMBER THE MILK

This innovative reminder app is perfect for those with hectic schedules.

My children attend three different schools (high school, special needs school, primary school) so I have three sets of sports days to remember, three library days three nude food days and three newsletters to plough through.

Find out more about Remember the Milk here.

WHAT TO WEAR

This incredible app will let you know what the weather is doing in your area and suggest outfits for you.

Just enter in your location and clothing details and let the app make the decision for you.

Find out more about What To Wear here. 

REAL-TIME ROADS

The RMS has a number of transport apps to help you figure out the best way to get to wherever you are headed.

There's one for roads, ones for public transport and one that covers all of the above.

Download them here. 

FAKE-A-CALL

When you come across a loud or annoying person, it can be very difficult to disengage from them.

Enter the Fake-A-Call app. It allows you to make your phone ring on demand at the best possible times.

Check it out here.

How do you reduce your morning stress? Email me at jabi@nine.com.au.