When talking about calm, serene environments, we think green spaces, starry skies, silent nights and fresh air. Words that don'tspring to mind: traffic jams, Laundromats, shopping malls, smog. For city dwellers, such calm, serene environments are often only a product of our daydreams, far off magical lands where public transport doesn't exist. If you need to find a real-life happy place -- and moving to the country isn't an option -- don't despair. Here are a few ideas to bring calm and serenity to your urban life.
Get outside
So you don't have four acres of land behind your house, or even a backyard. There's plenty of fresh air out there, so grab some. Find a park or a stretch of grass near your workplace. Pack your lunch (or pick up some take-out sushi) and spend your lunch hour outdoors. It might not be the great outdoors, but being out of the office, even for a little while, can rejuvenate you.
Bring outside in
Grab your garden gloves, get planting and reap the benefits of indoor plants. In addition to brightening up your living room or desk, indoor plants can clean the air around you by taking in carbon dioxide. Digging around in the dirt is a definite stress buster, and watching your fern grow -- in spite of the smog outside -- will give you a sense of accomplishment. Give new meaning to the term urban jungle!
Get your urban family together
Dinner is Chinese takeout -- for the third time this week. Just because your mother and father and cousins are in other provinces doesn't mean traditional, sit-down dinners have to be a thing of the past. If cooking a huge dinner for just a few seems like a waste, invite more people. Invite your surrogate family, your friends and their families. What could be more relaxing than gathering loved ones around the table for great food and stimulating conversation? Make it a weekly thing, alternating houses and responsibilities (one week, you're in charge of the main course, the next, you do dishes).
