Part of the life of a New Yorker involves commuting either it be to work, school, the gym etc. As a young adult most of my commuting is to City Tech. This is my first semester to college so I haven’t had the time to explore the area of City Tech so my route has been the same. However, this project required looking for a new route that would provide some new energy. Taking a new route is definitely out of my comfort zone because I don’t like to change routes unless I’m very familiar with the area I’m in so picking this new route brought me out my comfort zone. This type of behavior is very popular among humans because change brings some sort of instability. Nevertheless, this shouldn’t shy us away from change. Positive change can help college students reduce some of the high level of stress.

My normal route to City Tech consists of me taking the A train and getting off at Jay Street metro Tech. I then take the exist closest to City Tech and walk on Jay street to the entrance of the Namn building. However, my new route included taking the longest exist of the train station to City Tech. Rather than going straight down Jay street I took walk on Fulton street and then I took a left into a small alley that would take me back out to Jay street. This street which is named Lawerence street was quite smaller than Jay street and its quieter and dark. I liked this route because it was less crowded and rushed as Jay street. Although, I ended on Jay street again this detour provided some relaxation before heading out to Jay street. This alley had stores that opened later in the day like Papa Johns so this allowed there to be less traffic. I liked this route even though it was longer because it provided some relaxation.

Surprisingly, I did encounter better energy taking this route. With my regular route I would feel very rushed to get to class. After getting off a busy and crowded train and heading towards Jay street one does feel overwhelmed. However, the detour I took allowed me to breathe, relax, and enjoy the morning. In a place like New York enjoying the morning is hard because we are all very busy getting to where we need to go. I definitely recommend this walk for city-each walkers because on Fulton you find many shops. In addition, this alley is calm, less crowded, and this alley takes you to many cute little shops. For a college student this could definitely be a enjoyable detour during any time of the day.

Taking walks are very beneficial to many aspects of our lives. According, to healthnbodytips.com, “One prominent benefit of early morning walk is that it can help reduce high blood pressure and high cholesterol, both of which contribute to heart disease.” When we take a detour we are adding time to get to the new location which counts as an early walk. This walk can benefit the health of our heart because morning walks help reduce stress. In addition, stylecraze.com states, ” Morning walks do more than just rejuvenating the body. They have the same positive effect on the mind as well. When you walk, the oxygen and blood supply to the brain are accelerated, and this, in turn, leads to an enhancement in mental alertness, brain function, and memory (23). Moreover, walking helps increase the brain volume and improves brain function in aged individual.” This reference helps us see that morning walks help improve our mental health. With a better mental health we are without a doubt going to have a more productive day.

As I had previously stated, change can sometimes bring a hazel because it brings us out of comfort zone and brings stress. However, Coaching Positive Performance claims, “The clearer you are about what you want, the easier it is for you to find what you are looking for.” Change can sometimes be in our control and when we have control its recommended we analyze it. With an analysis of the change we can fix possible things we may not like or even improve new changes. Change doesn’t always have to be negative as this article has shown it depends on the mindset we have going into changes. However, there are times where change is out of our control and we can face serious stress. The American Psychlogical association states, “But when you give yourself permission to step away from it, you let yourself have time to do something else, which can help you have a new perspective or practice techniques to feel less overwhelmed.” This article states the importance of removing ourselves from stressful situations temporarily. The detour we take offers us a short period of an “escape” from directly heading towards our daily activities.

In conclusion, when one is in a stress state one must remain calm and avoid additional stress. As New Yorkers and college students we can apply this by avoid taking a busy route to school after a hectic ride on public transportation. The MTA encounters many delays in the mornings which irritates commuters because it delays our activities. As college students we work very hard to achieve good academic grades which is very challenging as we juggle other responsibilities as well. The Univeristy of Michigan claims, “Many students find that they can reduce their level of academic stress by improving skills such as time management, stress management, and relaxation.” This claim emphases how important some relaxation during stress is vital. The detour in our busy lives will help us appreacite positive things like a beautiful morning. Focusing on natures beauty before a long day at school will help us relax. As we have learned a quiet place is recommendable to release stress. Reflecting on the morning is also very healthy for our minds which help improve our productivity.