New Urban Setting

Something that's been getting into my head a lot recently is how I'm going to react to the busiest and largest city on the East Coast. The little country girl already lived in an urban setting before, but that was only for a couple months. Also, Berlin doesn't really count as a serious urban setting; there's far too much green and far less traffic than NYC. I'm really glad I'm only 10 blocks from Central Park, so I at least will have an easy escape when I get too overwhelmed.

I just read an article from the New York Times about 5 neuroscientists studying the effects technology has on the parts of the human brain related to anxiety and lack of focus versus how we relax in natural settings. Such a coincidence because I had really noticed how much I had relaxed and felt less inclined to check my email after my family's little vaca to the mountains. The same thing happened after my remote vacation with Stuart at the beginning of summer. The article mentioned how even just an urban setting can increase anxiety and lack of focus and decrease our learning ability. Rather, walking in a wooded area increases our learning ability and relaxation. Surrounding ourselves in nature changes how we pay attention to what's around us: listening and seeing differently.

I absolutely love being outdoors though I am looking forward to the convenience of city living. Luckily, the Upper West Side is a little greener than most of Manhattan; I could easily take walks in Central Park, lose myself in the nature without realizing I'm in the Big Apple. I hope. We'll see. One thing is for certain: I will never ever allow myself to get a Black Berry or any kind of mobile device that causes me to be more absorbed in technology. I often just check my email because I'm bored. But what did I do on my vacations without all that stuff? I had the most wonderful time. I went on walks, swam, read read read and read. Hopefully since I have some active roommates (and by active, I mean, they actually exercise) I'll get a little more into that kind of active lifestyle?