The psychological effects of moving frequently are numerous, but it is reasonable to experience different emotions during big changes in your life. Depending on your personality and capacity to deal with changes, you can go through frequent moves differently from others, but some effects appear in most cases.
Effects of a move can be various, and they depend on your personality
Why Is Moving So Stressful?
Psychology shows us that relocations are one of the most stressful life events – right up there with divorce or losing someone you love. How is this related, you might wonder. Well, relocations are closely connected to losing some of the things we love and find very important in life. We can lose our job, have to leave our friends or family, our familiar surroundings, and the comfort of the home we love.
Also, moves are often connected to some important life-changing events. People often move for love after getting married, but relocation also often comes after a divorce. Sometimes you can lose your job and be forced to relocate out of your beloved apartment because you can’t afford to pay rent. On the positive side, your family might be growing, and your house can no longer fit all of your children. Even positive changes are sometimes stressful and challenging, and one thing connects all of these events – it’s the need to change. Humans love staying in their comfort zone, even if it’s not the best for us.
What Are the Negative Consequences of Relocation
Relocating to a different city can open up many opportunities, but it can also close some doors for you. For example, you might need to look for a job, and the market in the place where you currently live is simply not enough for you, so relocating from a small town to a big city is your only option if you want to boost your career. On the other hand, if your current partner, for example, isn’t ready to move in together, you might even put an end to the relationship if things don’t work out long-distance.
All of this can provoke some negative emotions, such as loneliness, hopelessness, and fear of a new beginning. These negative emotions can lead to avoiding human contact, participating in fewer activities, finding it hard to develop deeper social connections or complete everyday tasks. Eventually, this might lead to even bigger issues such as severe anxiety or depression.
Organizing a move can also be very stressful. You need to plan all of the complicated aspects of relocation, and this is sometimes very hard when moving cross-country. You’ll probably need to say goodbye to some things you love but simply can bring with you. To save yourself from the trouble of complicating things even more, consider hiring professional cross-country moving companies for their packing services. This can be more than convenient for your relocation process, plus it will give you more time to focus on what’s actually important – your mental health, for example.
Sometimes, you'll need to say goodbye to the people who matter to you
How Does Moving a Lot Affect a Person? The Psychological Effects of Moving Frequently Can Be Various
Relocating for the first time can be very stressful and often a life-changing event. If you’re used to the comfort of your parents’ home and need to move to a college dorm, this will be a lot to digest. Once you successfully relocate to another state alone, you might find the excitement of the new beginning addictive. The thrill of exploring places and meeting people is often strongest during a young age, but this is also a period when we learn the most about ourselves.
When you’re young and free, and nothing holds you back, you can choose to move without any particular reasons – just for your own pleasure. But don’t get carried away with this. Once you make this decision – the rollercoaster of emotions might begin. Relocation is known as one of the most stressful processes in people’s lives. Even if the joy of a new beginning brings you more benefits than consequences, these frequent changes can have a serious effect on your mental health.
Is Moving Around Too Much Bad?
Relocation doesn’t have to have negative consequences in every case, but some psychology experts and studies show that frequent relocation during childhood has negative effects on mental health and provokes the development of certain issues. This can affect your physical and psychological well-being. People who tend to make changes in their environment quickly tend to also adapt to changes quickly, but they are still humans, and it is just a matter of time when these changes will affect them in some unpleasant way.
Can Moving a Lot Cause Trauma?
No matter how big your fear of relocation is, it doesn’t necessarily have to lead to trauma. Sometimes the most terrifying life experiences don’t cause psychological trauma, while in other cases, not as stressful situations still lead to trauma. So will the move cause it? This depends on your own capacity for dealing with stressors. If you are a resilient person with strong capacities for dealing with stressors and adapting to changes, frequent relocation won’t cause trauma. In some cases, it can still lead to issues like depression after relocating, maybe even adjustment insomnia, or in some cases, anxiety about relocating.
This process can make you experience different emotions which depends on many factors
How Do Frequent Moves Affect Kids? A New Environment and Constantly Losing Friends Can Be a Lot to Handle
Even though kids are sometimes very resilient and adapt to changes easily, moves can affect them in various ways. In order to have a happy and overall healthy childhood, they must have some stability and routines that they can hold onto. Changing schools frequently and losing their friends often might lead to severe mental issues, especially in the period of adolescence, as psychology shows. They might start feeling like an outsider wherever they go because they never completely fit in and constantly try to swim in new waters.
If you’re in some cases forced to move frequently because of your job, you can try giving them something to hold on to. Relocating with a pet can be a great way to reduce stress, plus they’ll always have their furry friend by their side no matter where they go. You should also practice different routines with them that can remind them that home can be anywhere where you can repeat those routines. This can be a family Sunday brunch, going to movies together, walking your pets around new parks, playing some family games, and so on. After all, home is where you all feel happy and complete together. It is more likely that they will experience the move positively if they feel comfortable wherever they are.
Consider getting a pet - with them it is likely that your child will feel less lonely during transitions
What Are the Good Coping Mechanisms You Can Use to Protect Your Mental Health?
How to move without getting emotionally wounded, and how to keep your sanity if frequent relocations are something you can’t avoid? Luckily, there are some good coping mechanisms that will help you stay on the right track even during harsh moments:
- Stay open to meeting people,
- Don’t put an end to past relationships,
- Talk to others frequently,
- Find a support group or system,
- Explore your area,
- Do the thing you loved doing in your past home,
- Find a hobby,
- Always try to stay physically active,
- Eat healthy and drink plenty of water,
- Try having enough sleep,
- Don’t hesitate to reach out to a professional for help if needed.
Spending time in nature has been proven to have positive effects on the psychological well-being
Why Is Moving Good for Mental Health?
Do you ever feel like you’re trapped in your own body, and you need a change in order to feel alive? Now imagine someone who’s more open-minded and wants to experience changes frequently. Some people don’t feel happy by spending their whole life in the same environment. This can even feel suffocating – like they are wasting their time doing something that was already planned for them without getting a chance to seek the thrill and excitement of a fresh start and an unpredictable future.
Relocations are good because without them, people never actually get a chance for real growth. How are you going to learn and grow emotionally and mentally if you are stuck in the same old routines your whole lifetime? Experiencing a certain dose of risk is the biggest opportunity life can give us – without this, are we even living, or are we’re just passively existing? It’s not very likely that you’ll experience any positive opportunities if you don’t even try.
How Can You Benefit From Moving to a New Place?
Apart from some potential negative emotional effects of moving, there are many fields you can benefit from if you are constantly relocating. For example, you’ll definitely become a house hunting expert, and you’ll know exactly what you expect from your new home. Secondly, you’ll definitely learn how to downsize for a move and take only things you actually need. Not getting attached to materialistic things can be a great advantage in modern life. You’ll value experiences, relocations, and people more and learn how to cherish every moment you spend with your loved ones instead of, for example, getting attached to unnecessary clothes and shoes.
You might also become better at organizing your finances – you’ll know how to organize a relocation budget without overspending, and you’ll definitely know how to spot and avoid potential relocation scams. Obviously, if in certain circumstances you need to plan a last-minute relocation, hiring professional long-distance movers for convenient moving services might be better than putting everything on yourself, even when you become an expert. There is no need to challenge yourself further when everything can be handled easily with their assistance.
Relocation can be a great opportunity to start living together with your partner
If You Believe You’re Strong Enough to Deal With These, the World Is Yours
What could possibly stop the strong and independent individual that you are from fulfilling their life goals and dreams? A couple of thousands of miles? We don’t think so. If you dealt with these situations successfully in the past and know what to expect when the relocation process is happening, nothing should bring you down.
Don’t worry – it’s normal to feel down at some points, and we don’t say this is going to be easy, but you’ll definitely grow into a more open-minded person that is full of various life experiences with numerous possibilities in front of them. Nothing is better than the feeling that you’re the master of your own destiny, and no one should take this away from you. You’ll learn how to adapt to difficulties, go through challenging situations, and come out stronger every time. So what is currently stopping you from chasing your dreams? Everything is possible if you believe you can do it, so pick up your phone, find the best cross-country movers, and start living the life you’ve always imagined.
