What kind of bicycle are you riding? Hybrid, MTB, road, other?

What gearing do you have?

What size tires and width are you running?

"Make haste slowly" is a good thing to think about when starting commuting by bicycle. As you commute more days your fitness level will increase and probably by a lot. When I was first commuting 15 miles each way in Toronto, Cnada a lot of the hills/inclines seemed nearly insurmountable. A few months later those same hills could be ridden without hardly gearing down.

Headwinds and hills require a psychological boost to overcome. When riding up a long hill or into a strong steady headwind my mantras are, DOn't let the headwind/hill win!"

Another thing. It's a lot easier for most people to spin or pedal in a lower gear than it is to mash a big gear. many people I know were using too big a gear and thus they couldn't ride very far before tiring or getting pains.

I used to use barends mounted inboard of my shifters and brake levers so that my barends were btwen those and the stem. This allowed me to assume a more aero position.

Watch out too for baggy clothing/jackets that will act like an anchor and slow you down a lot in a headwind.

Persevere and commuting will most likely become enjoyable for you too.

Cheers