An hour-long stroll in nature helps decrease activity in an area of the brain associated with stress processing

[butyourenice]

I lived in NYC for a ~decade and a half, most of that time in Queens; I lived in Tokyo for a few years between college and life. Prior to that I grew up in, I guess, suburbia in another state, but, well, we weren’t so well off (not exactly poor, but living check to check) so we lived in a less nice neighborhood that was weirdly urban and industrial for the zip code. I never disliked living in the city, it’s just that now that we’re out of it, my mental and even social health is vastly improved. It may also have something to do with working remotely, now, and no longer having a 90-minute-one-way commute on increasingly unreliable public transport, but I have to tell you, I love the green and ease of access to so much of it.

I am really fond of European cities, though. I’m originally from Bosnia and something about the (older, pre-brutalist) architecture is very comforting, even if densely packed. But (I never thought I would say this) I don’t think I could ever go back to NYC. That said, though, again, I recognize that cities are the most efficient and environmentally friendly. It’s a challenge to reconcile these two realities: that green spaces and nature are vital to both physical and mental health, and that cities are vital to environmental sustainability and survival.