Finals. There's something about them that always makes my mind go crazy! Fortunately enough, I've learned––as an eternal student––not to stress about them and to take it easy. In fact, the week of finals has become my favourite part of the term, because it is when I finally manage to concentrate and put all my energy into what I like, researching and writing about what I love. However, this tends to become a problem, since my mind apparently likes finals even more than I do, and starts working so much that sometimes I feel it's going to explode.
Here's what happens. When I'm in finals, trying to concentrate on writing the best research papers I can, my mind always decides to go an step further and starts thinking on a thousand extra things––not just on my research. So ideas will pop-up in my mind and wake me up in the middle of the night, I will have the weirdest dreams, and I will not be able to sit down in class and listen to other people's presentations in peace. Something I truly hate about this is that it tends to result in a lack of sleep––although my mind is normally so active that it doesn't care at all, and I don't even feel tired.
But in New York, I've found a way of calming my mind down––sort of: go out for a walk. Somedays––like today, which has been grey, cold, and miserable––I can't really make myself go out of the warm comfort of my study nook at home. However, some days I have managed to actually leave all my thoughts behind––or at least pretend I'm doing so––and go out for a very long walk. This makes me clear my mind, while helping me open my eyes to new ideas and inspiration. Especially in a city like New York, there are thousands of attractive things to the eyes, and that definitely makes my walks so special.
So yes, walking around has become my dearest strategy to calm my mind. And I've been finding really soothing things lately, such as the pops of blue in one of the beautiful townhouses of the West Village (pictured above).
Love,
Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio
