Within my jobs travel I regularly cities to handle customers and business meet. This is not only in Birmingham (my company where based), but also in other British cities such as London, and increasingly to cities outside the UK. From this personal experience talking with customers over the years I only too well of personal tensions become, and that cities can cause us as human beings. Even the people in the world's most important cities such as London and New York (who we can think are acclimatised to this type of environment), long-term stress built up from this general day day background stress can loops us down.
Think this then, it is important that we have space of to relax in the heart of our towns and cities. While on a recent visit to London a pretty hot and busy Friday it was relief walk through St. James's Park near busy Piccadilly. In the heart of a world with more than 7 million people, this green oasis with pleasant plants, had trees, lakes and grassy areas calming immediately. While unfortunately not the time to stop and sit on a bench - although these were already busy – it was still relaxing just to exist of the busy streets and sidewalks for 10-15 minutes to get and completely updated back into the street.
In fact, studies have shown that the color green has a calming effect on us. It is proven that slow the heart rate and blood pressure, if we look at and are surrounded by a natural green surrounding. Although no scientific explanation for this effect, proposals were made that there is something in our psyche back to the days of the first people as people plundered and lived from the land - a similar reason why for most of us, our senses are far more alert in the dark than during the day.
Against this background, it is also gratifying to see that many new parks and seating areas have been or planned in our cities and towns - in the UK and overseas. Historical examples such as Central Park in New York City (843 acres of land between 59th Street to the South and 110th Street to the North): Hyde Park in London and Flagstaff Park in Melbourne, Australia, all have a worldwide reputation and offer valuable relaxation place for their respective city dwellers and tourists alike.
The planning of new parks and recreational areas for relaxation is even more gratifying in recent years. While it is true to say, there are also economic benefits, those are parks - after all is Central Park, a New York tourist attraction in itself and a wide range of people-there are great benefits to health, be won. Birmingham has a new city park for its Eastside regeneration area (the first large park in the city for over 100 years) planned and completely renovated in Chavasse Park in Liverpool, as part of offering a development with the car park Liverpool sitting on land on a large car park - a pleasant green environment for the city.
Many cities have also indoor "winter gardens" with one of the newest additions, I can imagine Sheffield winter gardens in Yorkshire, England, completed in 2003 at the Millennium in the city to celebrate. While you are on a smaller scale compared to winter gardens in some other cities, it contains an all weather seating and events area for the people of Sheffield.
While it well and good is everything with these facilities on the doorstep, it makes no sense, if you do not. This is something that I've found to travel. Very often in the past have been in so very quickly, that I have used just such a place as a link to my destination or never - dared I quite saw to mention of sit down and relax. Must use it tens of thousands of people, which some close to these wonderful places - residences of jobs look at it - that do not use these areas to relax for whatever reason.
My advice is to do just that. Use these areas, for what they are for - designed are for relaxing. Even if it fast just ten minutes for a walk or sit down during lunch; a green and quiet surroundings at the beginning, middle, or end of the day can contribute significantly to our personal relaxation and can make all the difference, if you try to relieve stress. I know that I certainly more frequently visit will these areas in the future!
Martin Hogg is an anger management specialist and founder of the citizens of coaching CIC, a charitable institution based in Birmingham, UK http://www.citizencoaching.com/
We offer a unique, tailor-made anger-management approach through live workshops, one to one support and through online and home study. Free get Martin's first steps in anger management at http://www.myangercoach.co.uk/anger-management-online
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