People don't come to New York to live a leisurely life. It's not an easy or leisurely place to live. There are plenty of leisurely activities to take part in, but even trying to participate in those with millions of other people at once can be exhausting. Most people come to New York to work and to achieve their goals. They come here to get ahead. People come here because there are opportunities that you can't find anywhere else in the world. They don't come here to do average things.
Sometimes I find it really hard to balance work and a social life. Much like other people in the industry, I work about 60 hours a week. Granted, it's not like I'm lifting bricks or pouring concrete or something like that, but I do work hard. Unfortunately, because I spend the major of my time at work, that doesn't leave much time to see people who aren't my colleagues. I've met so many interesting people since I moved to NYC and I find it really hard to get face time with everyone. It's really easy to burn out after working and playing all the time. I think I've burned out a few times since I've been here.
My mom has always said that life is about balance. You have to balance out the work and play, and I definitely agree with that. You also have to balance out the time spent on others and the time you spend on yourself. So sometimes when I stay in bed all weekend and don't leave my apartment for 24 hours it's not because I'm lazy. I'm just balancing out.