So, can moving make you happier? Likely yes, if it comes with general improvements in your living environment, social network, and work-life balance. But it's far from a cure-all, and you're unlikely to notice a change in how you feel if your move doesn't offer more than just a superficial change in scenery.
You Can Experience Life Differently
Positive changes after adversity, such as enjoying a new city after a stressful move, can have great benefits to your mental state, and allow you to experience your life in new, novel ways.
We're constantly told that moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do. But for many people, making a fresh start in a new home can be the key to feeling happier and more satisfied with their life.
One school of thought says yes. In fact, it may be exactly the type of "fresh start" people need to re-calibrate their happiness. Another suggests that while a move might provide us with a temporary lift in mood, it is most common for our happiness to return to its baseline, pre-move level.
If you're unhappy with your city, move.
A little risk and uncertainty can go a long long way. If you're only staying because you feel it's secured and because you're already living there for a long while now that it is “home” or that it is “convenient” – well, you might want to re-think your decisions.
Leaving home is not always easy. Homesickness, loneliness, stress and anxiety are all common feelings that may come up during your transition to independence. Even the happiest and most confident young people can struggle.
Instead of pushing yourself to adapt, start exploring other possibilities. There must be someplace on earth where your skills are appreciated and where you can find friends who are more like you. If the place you live doesn't allow you to be yourself in any way you need to, living there can make you depressed.
Your home, neighborhood, and surroundings all have a huge impact on your quality of life—sometimes they'll contribute to your happiness, while other times they'll leave you feeling unfulfilled or unmotivated. Moving offers a fresh change of scenery that can recharge and boost your mood.
Relocating in your 20s can be a fulfilling experience that offers many opportunities for personal growth and adventure. It provides the chance to explore new environments, cultures, and lifestyles and to meet new people who share your interests and values.
Be confident in your own preferences for happiness, and avoid comparing yourself with others. You can be in a state of happiness no matter where you live—by making great choices about your mindset and your actions.
Exercise and physical activity are great ways to ease symptoms of depression or anxiety, but they aren't a substitute for talk therapy (psychotherapy) or medications.
That said, relocation is not without its challenges; it's even considered one of the most stressful life events we can go through. “Moving is an overwhelming endeavor that can easily activate many of our emotions, including stress, exhaustion, and anxiety,” says Hillary Schoninger, LCSW.
Very few people are going to get through a move without experiencing some stress or anxiety, whether it's from packing left to the last minute or worrying that the moving truck will make it across the country with all your belongings intact.
Moving means everything will be new and exciting
If you've lived in the same place for ages, finding something new and cool can be really difficult. And that's a rush of energy and excitement that we all need from time to time, especially if we want to remain open to new information and knowledge.
In any case, it's still valuable to understand the effects of moving to a new home. Because the fact is that moving is traumatic. And not just for adolescents and teens. According to the University Hospital System of Northeastern Ohio, moving is one of the top five traumatic events in life.
Independence – Perhaps the main advantage of moving out of your parents' house for the first time is developing a sense of independence. There are no rules or curfew. You can have guests over whenever you like and the only chores you need to do are the ones that benefit you and your living space.
While there are a lot of factors involved, the average age when people move out of their parent's home is somewhere between 24 and 27. This makes logical sense – it's after many people have completed college and around the time when most people get married and/or are in a long-term relationship.
While each person and situation are different, many people think that it's best to move out of your parents' house between the ages of 25 and 26. However, don't get fixated on these numbers. They're only meant to serve as a guideline. You may be ready to move out at a different age.
Whew — 28 is the best year of your twenties. Not because of the spectacular partying (see: 22) or because you'll magically have everything figured out (see: never), but because 28 is the year when you're finally able to accept that no one actually "feels" like a grown-up and it's OK that you don't either.
The willingness to continuously keep moving forward is not only important during tough times. It's just as important in many other aspects of life as well. Moving forward in life helps you to avoid stagnation. It allows you to maintain your pace, without being lured away by the various temptations of life.
“Good reasons to consider a move to a new city include being accepted to a college program at a school you want to go to, getting the kind of job you have desired that you haven't been able to get where you currently live, moving with your significant other or spouse if he or she has a school or job offer that is too ...
And when one reads those international lists of the happiest countries, top of the league tend to be places like Norway, Sweden, Canada, Denmark and Finland. There is no correlation between well-being and warm weather - if anything it looks like the opposite.
There can be a lot of reasons for being unhappy at home, maybe you're not being allowed out or being kept to strict curfews or bedtimes that you feel you're too old for. Maybe you're feeling like no one is there when you need them, you're being hit or arguing with other family members.