Do you feel like the place that you live in is not the one that is close to your heart? One in five Americans would agree with you. That percentage increases to 38% for people who have lived in two or more communities. Still, moving could be a good thing for you and your overall well-being, including your mental state. Why is that?

Part of it could be that core memory was formed in a certain place. That being said, there are times when just moving to a new home can be a great thing for your mental health. Here are a few reasons why.

Signs That You Could Benefit from a Move

Do you feel restless in your current home? When you look around, do you feel like there are better things out there? Does your current home feel too small? Are you annoyed when you even look at your neighbor’s door? If you answer yes to any of those scenarios, then you might want to consider moving to a new home for the sake of your mental health as well as your personal and professional lives.

You might not undergo an earth-shattering change when you move from one place to another. Still, you can open your mind to new traditions that each city or suburb has and then participate in them. That will be an excellent way to broaden your horizons. That way, you can also learn some things about yourself and how you view the world around you.

You Can Challenge Yourself

There’s something about living in the same place that can make you feel complacent. You do the same routine day in and day out. Before you know it, several years or more have gone by and it feels like you’re on a treadmill. It may feel like you have outgrown where you live. By moving to a new home in a new city, you can change that. You will be tempted to go explore your new neighborhood and also possibly find some ways to challenge yourself. As a result, you can propel yourself onto a new path that you could never have imagined before.

When you move to your new home, you can look at events in the area. They might be offering classes for something that you could use to further yourself. Are you an aspiring cook? You could go to group lessons and, if you like it, you could graduate to solo lessons. As a result, you could become a chef and open your own restaurant. You never would have found out about that if you hadn’t changed your location. It’s things like that which can change the trajectory of your life.

You Can Try New Things

This is a time to see your move to a new place as being an adventure. Is there a nearby restaurant that has a type of food that you haven’t tasted before? Give it a try! You might find a new meal to add to your list of favorites. Is there a concert hall that has bands you don’t recognize? Give it a shot. For all you know, there could be one that will make it onto your streaming music playlists.

Life is all about becoming as well-rounded as you possibly can be. By trying out these places, you will give yourself the best chance to be the best version of yourself. That includes being mentally strong. That will make moving into a new home be worth it.

You Can Possibly Save Money

This one depends on where you move to. Is one place with a better cost of living than another one? Then you could wind up having money put back in your pocket. This alone could be an excellent reason to move. If you have more money in your bank account, your mental state will be much better overall. You should do extensive research regarding the places that you are thinking of moving to.

There may be times that you have to move because your job tells you to. That may put things a bit more out of your control, but you can still search around and find ways to save money. You could see if there is a grocery store that tends to have a lot of specials, for example. Doing this can help you both stock your refrigerator and save money. Just keep your eyes open.

You Can Have a Fresh Start

While this might sound like the plot to anything from a hokey romantic drama to an action thriller, people leave their current place to get a new start. You can do that, too. By leaving behind the people that you knew in your old home, whether they were good ones or toxic ones, you are going to be giving yourself a blank slate by moving to a new home. It’s generally a good idea to not give those toxic people your new address, though.

There is something thrilling about turning the book of your life to a blank page and getting ready to write a new adventure for yourself. Take advantage of that new fresh start and really work on moving things forward to improve many different areas of your life. Otherwise, you risk writing the same story over and over again. Would you want to remember all the missed chances or the ones that you went for? Think of it as being an opportunity to discover a new you – without having to write down any New Year’s resolutions.

You Can Get More Things Done

Think about what life was like in the place you lived before. Was it one where everyone knew each other and it could take you forever to go somewhere because it seemed like you had to stop every few steps and talk to someone? Even driving, it could seem like you have to wave to others. Moving to a new place can give you back a sense of anonymity that you didn’t have before. You will be able to go from place to place much more quickly.

Don’t mistake that as meaning that you should be anti-social. If you see people that seem interesting to you, you can say hi. That’s all part of the new experience. But you are the one who controls that. If you want to start off by just going from place to place, then that is perfectly fine. If you feel social, then you can try that. Naturally, respect other people’s cues, though, and back off if they are the ones who don’t want to talk. That sense of control can help your mental state.

You Can Do a Lot of Self-Reflection

When you move to your new place, you will be able to think about some of the good qualities that you had in your previous home and some things that you could improve about yourself now that you have changed locations. What were the attitudes of the people around you before? Did they help you or hold you back? Will you get more self-confidence that you can use when you’re in your new setting? Life is always about improvement and you should take advantage of any opportunities to do that for yourself.

You Can Build New Relationships

When you move to a new place, there are going to be new people there for you to talk with. Many of them will be casual acquaintances and then there are some who you will become fast friends with. You may even become romantically involved with someone there. It’s all about finding people who share your values and want to see you do well. That will make your move worth it even more. It’s all about knowing yourself, too, and not settling for those who won’t value you.

This is where self-reflection can come in. You can remember those relationships from your previous home and recognize which ones were good and which ones were bad. Then you can know what to look for and hopefully avoid making those same mistakes in your new place. Otherwise, you could open yourself up to repeat those cycles of moving from one area to another without improving anything and feeling very empty in the process. That would definitely not be good for your mental health.

You Can Enjoy Upgrading Your Living Quarters

This can play a big part in boosting your mental state. If you are able to move from something like a one-bedroom apartment to a nice spacious house, then you will be able to stretch out both mentally and physically. Knowing that you will have another room to go to if you want privacy can do wonders for your mood. While it can be nice to have people around you, there are times when you just want to be left in peace, and having that option will reduce a lot of stress.

Another reason that you might like upgrading where you live is that you can have an easier time cleaning it. If you are in a small place, it can get dirty very easily, especially if you are sharing it with others. That can have an effect on your mind, too. If you know that you have more control over how it looks and do not have to rely on others to pitch in. You can feel good about going home again and not be stressed out.

There are times when moving can be stressful. It might take a bit of time to adapt to your new surroundings. That’s natural – you can go there with all the optimism in the world and things might not go the way you want to initially. Don’t get discouraged. You may have someone you can reach out to as a support system from your previous situation to help you keep going in your new one.

Other Things to Consider

Moving to a new place, especially if it’s your first time doing it, can feel terrifying. You’re leaving what you know – whether it’s comfortable or not – and traveling somewhere else. At first, it can feel like someone took away a security blanket, but the more time that you spend in your new setting, the better you will feel. As a result, your mental state will improve. Finding new people to talk with and different scenery can do wonders for your mood and your mental state.

Of course, moving to a new home will require some planning. Unless you have already saved up a lot of money, inherited it, or won the lottery, you’re going to need to take a look at the state of your finances. Also, you’re going to have to scout new neighborhoods, whether online or in person. Do this carefully, or you might find yourself in an area that looks nice during the day but becomes very unsafe at night. See what other people are saying. Don’t be impulsive. Otherwise, you could find yourself wanting to move again very quickly.

As you can see, there are quite a few mental health benefits from moving to a new home. You need to weigh whether the situation is something that you can pull off with your current finances and work life. If you can work remotely, then this would be much easier, since you just need to make sure that you have a working computer and a stable internet connection.

Ultimately, when you move into a new home, you could get the place that will wind up providing you with the best memories and become the place that becomes one that is closest to your heart. That could always be the hope that is in the back of your mind as you prepare to do the entire process. You need to carry that with you and let it blossom while you go through the upcoming days, weeks, and months in your new space.

Are you thinking of moving to a new home? Do you need help with that process? Contact us today to learn what we can do for you!

The Mental Health Benefits of Moving