Why big cities make you depressed #citylife #depression #mentalhealth

Cities create chronic low-grade stress because your nervous system evolved for natural environments with predictable threats, not constant artificial stimulation. The concrete, noise, traffic, and density trigger your threat detection systems continuously without resolution - there's never a moment your brain registers as "safe" the way it does in nature. This keeps cortisol elevated and prevents your parasympathetic nervous system from activating, which is the state where healing, joy, and connection actually happen. The city environment also concentrates narcissistic behavior because it rewards extraction over empathy. When you're constantly stressed and disconnected from nature, you become more vulnerable to manipulation and less able to enforce boundaries. Cities don't just make you depressed through environmental factors - they create the perfect conditions for toxic people to drain whatever energy you have left after fighting the urban chaos. If recognizing these patterns resonates with you and you want practical tools for protecting yourself, I'm creating a detailed PDF guide on building healthy boundaries. Take the free boundary quiz on my website and join the newsletter - you'll get notified when it launches, plus weekly insights I don't share anywhere else. #citylife #depression #narcissist #mentalhealth #psychology