I never imagined I'd end up in Jackson, Wyoming. I had been living in New York for 20 years, and, like many New Yorkers, I began craving a backyard for my kids. But the thought of trading my beloved Upper West Side apartment for a minivan and suburbia made me shudder.

My identity felt tightly bound to a bustling urban landscape. My professional life was defined by my private practice, my work at Columbia University, and a distinctly New York brand of ambition: survive and be somebody. But I was growing tired of the constant search for a place my family and I could afford, and wondering if it was worth it to stay.

As a , I'm always cautious about offering unsolicited advice, especially about major life choices like moving across the country. Yet, here I am, seven years later, in a small, remote town — and a full report about my mental health.

Here's what I've learned: If you live in a big city and you're feeling worn out, moving to your version of Wyoming might help you become and . It has changed my life in new and exciting ways, done wonders for my mental health, and I've never been happier.

Great mental health happens in a community

I've been watching men struggle with mid-life my entire career. And now, I had moved to a state with . Teton County has a with alcohol and depression, both things I was fighting personally. But the culture around treatment and mental health here has surprised me in the best ways.

To start, I'm no longer an anonymous mental health professional. Jackson has a (compared to New York City's ). My kids play with my patients' kids, I bump into my clients at the grocery store, at elementary school basketball games, at volunteer events and snowboarding in the mountains. We are open with each other, and we live through the seasons and storms together.

I also learned a lot about sportsmanship and attitude. One night our fifth grade son's slightly spastic basketball team suddenly gelled. Crisp passes. Great spacing. Shots dropping! We were up 26-0 and our kids were stoked heading into the last quarter. The boys on the other team kept glancing at the clock and several were fighting tears.

I watched as the dad coaching the losing team knelt down with steely resolve and kindness as he locked eyes with his players. Now I was fighting back tears. I was proud of our team, but I was more proud of being in a community with that dad.

Brain food is everywhere

I've spent much of my career exploring how a .

Prior to Wyoming, we lived on my family's farm in Indiana for a few years. We incubated a flock of chickens and ate their eggs. We grew a massive garden endlessly composting, digging, weeding, watering and attempting to organically fight the swarms of hungry pests eager to devour our efforts.

Wyoming's food culture — centered around beef, bison, trout, along with gardens lovingly tended (despite the incredibly short growing season) — has continued inspiring me to become a mindful eater. Meals here are less about restaurants, and more about intention, nourishment and family.

Plus, watching my kids enjoy food we've grown and picked ourselves has brought a profound sense of satisfaction.

, too. In New York, nature felt a bit ornamental. It was a park you visited briefly before returning to the real world of deadlines and appointments. Here, I'm inspired to keep up with the 70-year-olds still mountain biking and going backcountry skiing.

I can focus more on what's important to me

Moving out of your comfort zone has a way of holding a mirror up to you — and it doesn't always show you what you want to see. Who am I without a full schedule and a fuller inbox? What happens without my phone?

Wyoming stripped away the distractions and forced me to confront deeper anxieties and insecurities. It forced me into a richer dialogue with myself about who I want to be, both professionally and personally.

I started journaling more and seeing more local patients. I stopped drinking alcohol. I wrote my fifth book, "." I started reaching out more to friends and colleagues. I became more engaged as a parent and a husband. I got a Bernedoodle. I joined the board of a local non-profit focused on mental health.

I still get to visit New York on frequent work trips, but it's hard to miss that my mental fitness has improved here.

I still feel challenged every day

Moving here didn't solve everything. Mental fitness, after all, isn't about escaping life's complexities — it's about learning to face them with resilience, grace and humor.

Without my time as a New Yorker, I would not have been prepared for my move out West. Wyoming, with its quiet intensity and unfiltered honesty, turned out to be the perfect teacher for me.

Recently, we drove through a five-hour blizzard to our daughter's basketball tournament in Casper, Wyoming. The storm had delayed our coach and suddenly, I was helping to coach my first basketball game in Wyoming. We lost. But I've never yelled with such conviction or felt proud like that.

Those girls are already Wyoming tough, but when they need a local dad to remind them, they can count on me.

, MD, is a psychiatrist, author of "," and mental health advocate based in Jackson, Wyoming.

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