Anxiety moving to a new city is a struggle a lot of people go through every year. Regardless of whether you’re moving for university, work, or personal reasons, there can be an unspoken dark side you don’t expect to face when you arrive.
Although you may feel anxious about moving to a new city, there are many ways to keep your mental health in a positive frame of mind. Here are some ways to ease anxiety moving to a new city:
1. Acknowledge Your Anxiety
Anxiety is real. If you pretend it’s not and you have it, there’s no real way to process it. Moving to a new city is a normal thing to feel anxiety about. You are out of your comfort zone with all sorts of unknowns, challenges, and insecurities waiting to be discovered. You’re also leaving so much behind. Acknowledge that it’s ok to feel these things.
2. Collect Info Before You Move
Collecting info before you move is a great way to ease anxiety moving to a new city. Put together as much info as you can about where you’re moving to before you do. You should also collect information about movers in your local area, which will help you prepare for moving day.
Look at community year-round events, social practices and norms, local laws or regulations you might want to be aware of, what the business environment is like, cost of living, medical care, and opportunities you may want to opt-in on. This way, you’ll feel prepared and less vulnerable.
3. Stay Focused on the Positives
If you have a lot of anxiety towards the negatives, avert your attention to the positives. There’s probably a clear reason you chose to move to a new area.
Focus on that and what you’re gaining. Whatever the reason, no one moves to a new city to be anything less than better.
4. Be Open About Your Anxiety
If you have anxiety about moving to a new city, a sure way to overcome that is by opening yourself up. Loosen up a bit. If an opportunity to make a new friend comes in sight, take advantage of it.
5. Join Hobby Groups
Whatever makes you ‘you’, do what makes you happy and search out groups in your city that match your personality. This is where you can find people just like you. On top of that, you’re challenging yourself with something unfamiliar while being honest with who you are as a human being.
6. Fill Your Space With ‘You’
You’re entering a new living space. Fill it with parts of you. Make it feel like home. Bring things you like in, buy new things that speak to you, and more. Consider furniture you like, any family heirlooms that mean something to you, and other cherished belongings. The more you make somewhere feel welcoming to you, the more you will feel like you’re at home.
7. Keep in Touch with Family
Just because you’re leaving your old city behind doesn’t mean you have to give up family and friends. Make the effort to message them, video-chat with them, and stay in contact.
Also, if you’re feeling sad and lonely, it’s ok to be honest with them about that. A large part of how to ease anxiety moving to a new city is knowing what you want to bring with you. The friends and family that matter to you aren’t to be left behind.
8. Try New Experiences
A new city is filled with tourist attractions, restaurants, parks, and opportunities you’ve never experienced before. Don’t be intimidated. The only way to gain familiarity with an unfamiliar place is to get to know it.
Try new things. Integrate yourself with what’s going on in the city. The last thing you should do is barricade yourself on your won and away from the world.
9. Get to Know Your Neighborhood
At a more local level, get to know your neighborhood. If you live in a condo building, familiarize yourself with the amenities. The more you know about what’s around you, the less anxiety you’ll have about getting out and picking up a cup of coffee, a slice of pizza, going to the grocery store, or hitting up the local gym.
10. Focus On Your Goals
Forward motion is important. Professionally or personally, write out goals for your new city. Pay attention to what you need to do every day to achieve what you came to the region to do.
Updating and adjusting your goals as you go along is fine. Naturally, if you put yourself in the environment and mindset to succeed, you likely will.
11. Build A Routine
After you’re settled in after moving day, focus on building a routine. Consider work, enjoyable activities, and things that make you happy.
A day or two per week to relax and do your own thing can also add some relief to sticking to a routine. This is all to take your mind off a new city’s intimidation factor.
12. Build Your Life
The best piece of advice on anxiety moving to a new city is this – get to living. This is the ultimate chance to prove yourself in a new environment. Become self-reliant. Find your confidence. Find growth as a person.
Build the life you want for yourself, taking with you what makes you happy and leaving behind in your old city all the things that don’t. Trust us when we say that some beautiful experiences lie ahead!
