The Effect of Your Environment

Intro

We all can need different external motivators and influences at different points in our lives. Being able and willing to take a walk in a new park or even new country can have profound effects on our mental and emotional well being. For me the biggest positives of changing my environment are: preventing stagnation in my life, exploring new or different experiences, and moderating my behavior via what's available in my environment. I recently found an interesting balance by traveling between SLC and NYC that motivated this perspective.

Stagnation

Our brains are evolved to seek novelty. If we see or experience something in the same way day in and day out,our brains will learn to ignore it. This can happen with our physical space, the way we allocate our time, and the relationships we choose to maintain.

Many times I have left my house to stay in someone else’s space, be it Airbnb, a hotel, or a friend’s house and returned to wonder why I left that pile of junk in the corner for 6 months, or why I left that one wall blank for so long. Refreshing our perspective by changing our visual stimuli can be very powerful. Imagine seeing the Rockies (or any other large mountains) for the first time, or the experience of visiting New York City for the first time and coming out of Penn Station amongst the skyscrapers. Contrast can be a competent illuminator.

Routine easily becomes the norm as day to day obligations take over from the building blocks to our long term goals. Not much causes me to re-evaluate what I am doing with my time more than being on a plane, train, or bus. The routine is shattered as you contemplate a blank slate for your schedule in your destination. It forces the question “what do I want to do?”, contradicting our daily drill of “what do I have to do?”. It is easy to return home and start devising ways to re-allocate your time to include more of what you want to do.

Interpersonal relationships can end up in maintenance mode easily, especially the ones that matter the most (the romantic ones!). There is a delicate balance of knowing when to put in the work to grow or heal, and knowing when your efforts are wasted and sunk costs are keeping you prisoner. Physical space and contrast can help reveal which is which. A relationship that drains power can hide itself in plain sight until you are free from it and notice the ominous blanket of stress you were oblivious to has vanished.

Available Experiences

For the past two years I have spent about as much time in other places as I have where I “live” in Salt Lake City. Specifically for the past several months I have mostly left SLC to visit NYC. Many people I tell in both locations have found it strange. I grew up in the Washington D.C. area and traveled to NYC often as a teenager. I feel my young adult life was strongly shaped by the northeastern US cities. As I grew older and wanted to spend more time outside I have leaned into climbing, skiing, and similar activities, bringing me to the mountain west. However I found myself nostalgic for the city and missing things that SLC could not provide.

Living in SLC provides world class access to rock climbing, ice climbing, trail running, resort and backcountry skiing, and a host of other outdoor activities. Where it lacks, NYC steps in- lavish options exist for dining, dating, and a social life. They are exact opposites in many ways, but that is the point. I cannot live in NYC and go skiing after work, just as there is only one good sushi restaurant in SLC.

In many other circumstances have I enjoyed modifying the routines in my life to fit what is available in different areas. The slow pace of visiting family allows me time to reconnect and learn about myself while sleeping in. Visiting Latin America allows a new perspective on dining and culture that is not available elsewhere. Going to the beach can be a relaxing change of pace- time spent in the ocean is always curative. Many things can be enjoyed in the world, but not all at once, and not all in the same place.

Moderation

Moderation has never been my strong suit. Internal regulation can be difficult but that is a story for another day. I am one of those people who will eat too much ice cream so I just don’t buy it. My desire to moderate drug and alcohol use from younger years has (for better or for worse) spread to other parts of my life. For me, I can take anything that is satisfying or feels good too far.

If I am in SLC too long I sometimes get overuse injuries. Most athletes take occasional rest weeks, often around 6-8 weeks. I have injured myself several times while ramping up activity around the 8 week mark and learned about a rest week the hard way. With such good access it is easy to ignore other responsibilities in return for the pleasure of being outdoors. Career, relationships, and other interests can suffer. The FOMO of Instagram can become very strong on a nice day while everyone else is outside playing.

By contrast, NYC offers different opportunities for excess. There is always something to do or somewhere to go eat. Many have experienced overdoing it socially in NYC and needing isolation to recharge. Too many new people, too many late nights, or too much good food all have consequences most of us are familiar with.

Changing your environment can help differentiate what matters to you most, bring variety and new points of view into your life, as well as provide balance. The balance I have currently found may suit me for a short period of time, or maybe for an extended period of time.What environment would help you become the best version of yourself?