How to Love Your Neighborhood

Do you love where you live, or is it starting to wear on you? Maybe you recently moved and still haven't decided how you feel about your new location? Melanie Warnick author of This is Where You Belong says walking can help. Of course, science has proven that walking is good for your mental, emotional, and physical health, but Warnick argues it's also good for your "place attachment."

Here's how it works. First, walking helps you know where you are. You are more likely to understand the lay out of your streets, restaurants, grocery stores, malls etc. if you walk rather then drive. Walking is slower and allows you to absorb more of what you see then a car windshield. You also will start to notice little things you might otherwise miss such as: whose kids play in the yard all the time, that neighbor only plants purple flowers, this neighbor has the same dog as you, or that neighbor must be an expert on berries. This noticing and memorizing your streets increases what is known as "place attachment" or how much you love where you currently live.

Warnick says that loving where you live is a lot like falling in a love with a person. You need to put in time and effort. And no, a drive through date with your block while you are late for a doctors appointment doesn't count as a relationship. So, if you are wondering how to begin building the bond with your new home, or you need to shore up the relationship with your long time home - go for a walk. Go on lots of walks. Put some time into knowing your neighborhood and you just might fall in love.