To think a place can cause depression?

[Kittycattenklump]

I am wondering whether I might need a change of scene.

Appreciate that I am ‘lucky’ to live in a lovely place, I live and work in Windermere, Lake District, and have done for the past 6 years. I am 2 yrs single and happy with that, have some nice friends and am happily self employed, but recently I am coming to feel that the place itself makes me feel this weird depression, like a hopelessness, that I don’t feel when I visit other places or stay with my longer distance friends.

I left for a year during the pandemic, and it doesn’t feel the same since coming back. Even the people coming here seem different somehow. But I can’t explain. There was previously a kind of nature lover/alternative vibe which is now missing.
I rent and the prices seem to have flown up in the past year -although that’s an issue everywhere, there’s a sadness to it here as what’s left of the market is dated or drab for a very high price. Local friends are depressed with the housing situation as many are sold off to airB&B.

I am comfortable financially but the manic switch of quiet grey gloom then heavy tourism has begun to put me on edge, something hard to explain.
Perhaps the balance has shifted and it’s no longer the right place for me, no matter the grandeur of the landscape. It feels like a giant commodity, bland and soulless recently.

other areas of my life are great, so i do suspect I might be up for a move. Would you consider it? Would you live here? Would love some thoughts on this as I haven’t discussed it with anyone yet.

Definitely feeling down after my experience in a £££ "naice" private dental clinic yesterday in WY. Adults eating McDonalds in the waiting room, facetiming, phones definitely not on silent, snippy receptionist who messed up the details for a potential costly treatment and made me feel like an inconvenience for politely advising that spelling my (not unusual) surname incorrectly.

If this was one of the best places I dread to think what the worst is like. Will take my business elsewhere but not holding out hope for much better. I know the general public are often gobby and entitled with receptionists, but why be rude when someone is polite? Especially if they are going to undertake expensive treatment at your workplace? Probably my accent and sunflower lanyard again

Another issue that has grown over the last 5 years - HMO’s.
Not the worst idea for a transient worker, student or someone checking out an area, but having adults squashed together this way as a general idea (and due growing inequality) is appalling. My friend lives in an area that has seen an explosion of HMO’s in the past few years, 70% of them owned by the same woman. How freaky is that? We never used to see this in the UK outside of cities or student halls.

The place has become almost derelict, not that this is in any way the fault of the cramped up tenants. As soon as a family moves out of the area, or an elderly person dies, the investment vultures swoop in. And this used to be a place where community thrived, young buyers could afford, etc.

Here in Windermere it is steadily expanding, too.

Well, these are both a none-too-positive side of life in 2023, and stretched services in 2023, but there are some things that I don't think you can escape entirely, whatever your surroundings. Living where I now do has also shown me that even if something is true when you move there (great transport links and easy traffic, say), this is usually not a lasting feature, and it's all relative.

If you move, what kind of top list would you want that could contribute a lot to peace of mind? Bear in mind what you thought would deliver that in other places, but turned out not to do that. Is it place, is it feeling very sensitive, is it noise, disillusionment, 'other people' that affect you particularly? (Hm, another "you should take your own advice sometimes, Ormally" moment!)

Ooh, i dont know. I think I fell out of love with it, and that would be ‘me’ changing as well as the environment.
But the value for money in property terms has fallen greatly. Yes, this could happen anywhere, but a heavy tourist honeypot is rather extreme I suppose.

The people are great, although the type of person has altered a lot since covid. And since the people here are largely made up of visitors, that does have an effect.

I’d like something a bit eclectic, thriving local businesses, value for money house-wise. Shrewsbury ticks a heck of a lot of boxes for me but not sure yet.

Country-wide, I agree with you, it’s all slightly unnerving.

I moved to Shrewsbury, wouldn’t recommend it. In fact, I now have the same feelings towards it that you have for the Lake District.

Would love to know more, what is it about Shrewsbury that you don't like? I am not too familiar with it but love other areas of Shropshire. The light is so special to me down there!

I was the same before moving here, previously loved Shropshire, the countryside etc. Shrewsbury seemed bustling, but living here, it’s v drab and boring. Moved up from London, and miss the energy and vibrancy. Feels like a bit of a 90s time warp in comparison. People here seem more miserable too. There’s a dullness about the place - hard to put into words.

@Kittycattenklump it probably isn't the cheapest either but would Totnes in Devon suit you? I know that's considered quite an arty place.