Today more and more people are thrilled about living an urban lifestyle, as rural living becomes less desirable. While it means our society is headed towards progress, in many ways an urban lifestyle has become a bane; increasing chronic diseases, mental health issues and so much more. And the root cause of it all is a single factor – Stress. Also read: Are You Suffering From Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?

Stress And the City

Talk to anyone proud of their urban lifestyle, and they will happily tell you that they welcome a certain amount of stress in their life. Stress keeps people on their toes, making them strive harder to perform better in all walks of life – be it personal or professional. And this is true to some extent, as stress is the mechanism that prepares us for any ‘fight-or-flight’ reaction from an evolutionary point of view. Also read: Stress Is Making Your Gut And Body Sick And Here‘s What You Can Do about It

Stress could be the accelerant that helps us to adapt better to a new environment, it also elicits some of us to perform at our peak. But prolonged exposure to stress is the root cause of many chronic diseases, including many mental illnesses.

Some shocking recent studies have reported that stress increases as our social network grow. Why? We constantly strive to fit in, and we struggle to maintain a façade and pretend to be better than we are – financially, emotionally and even physically, and that puts us under constant pressure. Lack of control, social threat and the fear of losing your social status strongly contribute to experiencing what can be called only as ‘social stress’.

The negative mental impact of stress is more common in urban society, where social disparity and hierarchical orders are more dominant.

How Is Your Urban Lifestyle Affecting Your Mental Health?

Even though infrastructure, nutrition, socioeconomic conditions and health care services are better in cities than in rural areas, it is also true that a jet setting urban lifestyle that is always geared towards ‘Action’ and the desire to better play a crucial role.

An urban lifestyle revolves a lot around a successful career, and there has been a remarkable increase in workplace stress and related health disorders. What is worse is that such a lifestyle also constantly puts personal relationships under pressure, which adds to the level of stress. The result – poor emotional as well as mental health. Also Read: Meditation Is The Only Way To Deal With Stress

An urban lifestyle increases the risk to many psychiatric diseases, for example, depression and anxiety. And things get worse for kids growing up in cities, as research studies have associated extra risk of stress with growing up in an urban area. These studies reveal that stress vulnerability of the brain alters with age; so for kids living in the city, early exposure to stressful events can have some serious repercussions on mental health even in adulthood. Also Read: The Simplest and Easiest Way to Deal With An Anxiety Attack

Today more and more Indians choose to chase high profile jobs, material possessions and a social media-worthy lifestyle. But it seems like all of these perks come at a cost; and what we may be paying with could be our mental health, even our sanity. But it’s not all a hopeless case. Learn to slow down, cut down on too much activity, meditate daily ( even for 5 min) and be mindful of your activities. And if nothing else, seek counselling to combat the feelings of depression and sadness. You are not alone in your journey, so reach out.  Also Read: Sunday Night Syndrome Is A Very Real Cause of Anxiety for Many

Here is a super interesting video about how social media is changing your brain:

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