No anxiety in New York City.

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I just recently took a two day trip to New York City and I didnt realize why at the time but I felt great, unusally great. When we left we were driving down to New Jersey to see relatives. For the first hour or two of getting there I was just fine. Then suddenly at a resturant I noticed I was rocking and violently tapping my foot while sitting in the chair as well as fidgetting and ripping my paper towl apart. The music was starting to bother me and I suddenly wanted to shut down and gwt away from everything and everyone.

It suddenly hit me that I had absolutley no anxiety in New York and after just a few hours I went back to my usual self after leaving. My theory is that in New York there are more details and things happening that engage my mind in a positive way and I would like to know if anyone has anything they think about this or any simular experiences

I live in NYC and have always loved this place ever since I used to visit as a kid. I love the facts that:

1) The streets go in logical numerical sequence (unless downtown)
2) The streets are interesting to walk along and do not induce boredom when walking great distances
3) You can be around lots of people without having to interact with them, and everyone is busy busy busy. You can disappear at will among people or interact as needed.
4) People are super diverse so you can be freaky and nobody looks twice at you
5) Everything is convenient. You can get whatever you need whenever you want it!

I had the same thing, the city seems more spread out somehow I think.

I've been there twice for origami conventions in Manhattan and primarily suffered culture shock.

Cons/Anxiety:
-Tall buildings, vs ones back home being rarely above two floors.
-Hundreds of people on the streets vs none to a few.
-Stoplights don't seem to apply there
-Many cultures and races vs 98% one color and prevailing culture (not a bad thing, but shocking to see/experience)
-People randomly getting in front of me and asking for things
-Rude attitudes beyond normally experienced at home (small southern town)

Pros/Excitement:
-Could escape to my hotel/dorm room at relative will
-Ear plugs to sleep at night through the traffic
-Awesome shopping experiences (loved Kinokuniya Books at Rockefeller center)
-Excellent Museums
-Easy to find shops with straightforward directions "x blocks down, x blocks over"
-People generally reacted very positively to kindness/courtesy, such as holding a door open for them

Overall it was positive, but a very stressful and energizing experience. I'm glad I prepared accordingly with a map, ear plugs, and I made sure to leave very early to arrive on time/early for events and travel.

I live in Queens and frequently visit Manhattan. Although pricey, it is not a bad place to live.

I've been to NYC twice and I wasn't the least stressed or anxious either. On the contrary, I liked it there. London too, for that matter.

Was everything incredibly close and extremely loud?

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No for supporting trump. Because doing so is deplorable.

I didn't like the marshals herding us people like animals and then hear how they couldn't pronounce our surname... Oh well I guess that is for having an Afrikaans surname.

Oh man. I gotta say, I may have to move to New York in the future when i can afford it. It does seem like life there suites me far more than the endless suburbia that is Phoenix. It really terrible not being able to drive here, Im fortunate enough to have a boyfriend who drives me to work and who takes care of me. However life would be so much easier for me personally there, just have to figure out the financial situation.

It is very expensive to live in NYC, and grows moreso every day.

If you cannot afford your own apartment you will have to find a roommate share, which could be a nightmare.
If you do get to find your own apartment, you may have noisy neighbors or hear sounds above, below and on each side of you. When I lived by myself in Spanish Harlem, the roosters (from the neighborhood cockfights) crowing would throw me into a tizzy, because they sounded like wailing children. Then there are dogs barking incessantly, people who smoke on the stairwell, people who play their TVs and music too loudly, people who stomp around above you and/or scream... it can be overwhelming.
I used to get into arguments with my next door neighbor about his late night blaring TV watching and his disgusting habit of leaving his trash out in the hallway.
I was willing to put up with it for cheap rent and living in the best damn city in the country, as hard as it was.

Now I live downtown with my husband on the top floor of a small building. We got triple pane glass windows (expensive) so that we could mute the outside noise. Otherwise I would probably go insane.