If you have decided to move because of personal reasons, you’re probably looking forward to the move and even the thought of doing so already provides some mental benefits for you.
However, whether you want it or not, moving is sometimes a necessity. You may not be looking forward to leaving your soon-to-be-old home.
You may, actually, dread the day when you’ll have to say goodbye to your old place and begin the sometimes stressful process of adjusting to your new surroundings.
Luckily, the mental benefits of relocation certainly do exist.
Hopefully, after reading this article, you’ll realize that your upcoming relocation might not be such a bad thing after all.
Dealing with after-move anxiety
Of course, it’s usually hard to see the mental benefits of relocation right after you’ve moved. Luckily, as time goes by, more and more advantages become apparent.
That is because anxiety, which is usually an integral part of moving, requires some time to be defeated.
So, before actually describing the psychological benefits that moving entails, I’ll take some time to explain how to cope with anxiety after moving.
Recognizing the symptoms
The first thing to do is to understand how to recognize the symptoms of post-anxiety stress. You may be inclined to simply attribute all of these symptoms to you being tired.
However, think hard on whether that’s actually the case.
A Recognizing the symptoms of post-moving depression is the first step towards eliminating them!
If you have some or all of these symptoms after moving, you’re probably suffering from post-moving depression:
- You constantly feel drained of energy.
- You are no longer attracted to doing the things that you used to love doing.
- You’ve put on a lot of weight, or you’ve lost a lot of weight.
- You sleep too much or too little.
- You’re afraid of going out and socializing.
Of course, the amount of stress that you have experienced while moving also contributes to the number of symptoms that you’ll have and your general mental well-being after moving.
Hiring a reliable moving company will greatly reduce the amount of stress that you’ll feel. Don’t know where to find such a company?
Check out Verified Movers and you will find the right moving professional in no time!
How to get better
There are plenty of ways to start feeling better. I’ll name just a few.
- Go out and explore. The more you know about your new home, the less you’ll feel like a stranger.
- Stay in touch with your friends and family because just having a pleasant chat with some of the people from your “old life” is bound to make you feel better.
- Meet some new people. You can start by trying to make friends at work. Just be yourself and try to be nice.
- Have a routine, and stick to it. This will make you feel more in control.
- Read our article on 10 activities to overcome stress and anxiety.
The mental benefits of relocation
After you have defeated your anxiety/depression, it’s time to enjoy the mental benefits of relocation!
1. Good times, bad times
The first one will come right away. Namely, every time one comes out as a winner in an important battle in their life (and this will inevitably happen sometime after you move), the feeling is amazing.
I know that this may sound silly, but life inevitably works on the principle of good times following bad times, and vice versa. Like some smart person has once said, there’s no heaven without hell. One cannot appreciate joy without previously experiencing pain.
So, when life throws at you a potentially depressing situation, such as having to move when you don’t want to, rest assured that relief will soon follow.
And when it does, not many feelings in life can match the joy that you’re bound to feel. Regardless of the situation that you’re in, just knowing this should help you to overcome depression.
2. Exploring a new environment can be beneficial
Like I said, one of the ways to overcome post-moving anxiety is to get to know your new home.
While doing so, you may discover (if you don’t know this already) that your new environment is actually fascinating!
B Buy a map or download a GPS application, and start exploring!
Exploring a different culture, learning about its history and the ways of its people can have a great effect on your mental health.
As the list of the places where you’ve lived increases, so does your spirit, your wisdom, and your general mental well-being. You’ll gradually change, becoming mentally richer by the day.
3. New challenges
Similarly, if you’ve lived in your previous home for a long time, there’s a good chance that you’ve learned all there is to know about it (or, at least, everything that you wanted to learn).
This can often lead to boredom. You may feel like you’re stuck in a rut.
Luckily, this shouldn’t be the case in your new home. With so many new and interesting things right around the corner, one tends to feel alive and energized.
People often outgrow the places that they’ve called their home. And when this happens, new challenges are just what they need!
4. New people
Depending on the quality of your social life in your previous environment, the mental benefits of relocation can be great or small in terms of your social life.
While you may miss your old friends, members of your family, or even romantic partners that you’ve left behind, after a while, you’ll certainly meet new like-minded people (and why wouldn’t you?).
C Meeting new people certainly provides mental benefits after relocation.
Becoming friends with new people, or romantically involved with someone, always has a great effect on one’s mental health.
This tells you that there’s nothing wrong with you, it eradicates loneliness (if it was present), and makes you feel good about yourself.
5. Relocation is usually great for students
Finally, if you’re a student who’s moving out of their parents’ house for the first time, you’ll experience more advantages than anyone else.
Of course, at first, you’ll probably miss your home.
However, living on your own, without being constantly controlled by your parents, is usually amazing!
You’ll get to do what you want when you want it. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should neglect your everyday duties.
However, it is definitely possible to be a responsible person, while at the same time enjoying all the mental benefits of not being kept on a leash.
Enjoy your new-found freedom, but do it responsibly!
