Sometimes it simply dawns on you that a major life change is in order. You might feel moved to consider moving to a new city, quitting your job, or going back to school.
Other times you might not have the blessing of such clarity. You may find yourself in a sort of “limbo”. Part of you feels scared of change and feels unable to move forward. The other part of you, however, feels impatient for significant changes.
If you find yourself in this problematic gridlock when moving to a new city and can’t seem to make up your mind, you should check for these signs that it is time to make that move.
You’re constantly complaining
The first thing to do in this process of seeing if it truly is time to consider moving to a new city is to be mindful of how you speak of where you currently live. You might notice that you’re constantly dissatisfied with one thing or another. You may realize that every little thing about where you live seems to have been getting under your skin lately.
When they grow tired of something or suddenly start hating it, it’s typical for people to start poking holes in that thing and finding things that will rationalize their new opinion. This can include everything from complaining about your neighbors, city ordinances, traffic, and weather, to the price of pasta and the annoying local radio host.
Another common thing that people in this kind of situation do is talk about being anchored to the place they live in now by something. Say you inherited property a few years ago in Orlando and moved there. If you have spent the last few months saying that the only reason you’re staying there is that you got it for free, even though you hate it, it is definitely time to sell that property and start packing for the move.
You feel trapped in a routine
People tend to develop a routine when they’ve been living in the same place for a while. You might wake up in the morning and know exactly how your day will go. It can almost start feeling like you’re living the same day over and over, without much, if any, differentiation.
Having a loose routine can be very good for mental health. This is mainly because things being unpredictable and changing all the time can make your life feel unreliable. That feeling can, in turn, cause depression and anxiety.
However, a routine that involves doing the same thing day in and day out can lead to you feeling trapped in your own life. Without flexibility and change, you render yourself unable to explore new avenues or ideas. Moving to a new city can represent a great way to make your life more spontaneous and break out of your routine.
There is little opportunity for your personal growth there
Whether it is related to your career or your self-growth, living in a place that supports your advancement as a person is extremely important. If you realize that your current city is not doing that for you, or even worse, making you stagnant, it is absolutely time to consider moving to a new city.
If your reason for moving is that you cannot find the perfect job in your current city, your best bet for finding the right job in a new city is to start looking before moving. Different cities offer different job prospects. Looking for a job before moving can help you narrow down the choice of cities where you could move. And it can also help you get started on the right foot when you do end up moving.
You feel lonely where you are now
Loneliness isn’t necessarily a good reason to consider moving to a new city. If you love where you live, but you just don’t have a lot of friends, it’s better to try and meet new people.
However, if you feel that you don’t have friends because you hate the entire mentality of the people who live in the city where you currently are, that is a different story. If you feel isolated, lonely, and different, moving to a new place might just give you that fresh start you’ve been looking for.
Maybe the fact that you live in a small city right now is the thing that’s contributing to this feeling of isolation. Or perhaps you’d prefer the closeness of smaller communities in smaller towns to the big city where you currently reside.
It’s been getting hard to afford life where you are
Money problems are one of the major reasons to consider moving to a new city. Maybe your finances (or lack thereof) are constantly stressing you out. It might be a good idea for you to move to a city with smaller homes. In fact, downsizing to a smaller home in a new city to have smaller rent or homeownership fees can help immensely.
This way, you’ll save enough money to be able to afford nice things again or grab a drink with friends every now and then.
Your gut says it’s time to move
The most important thing to listen to is your inner voice when it comes to big decisions, such as moving to a new city. If you’ve had a gut feeling that it’s time to try something new, you should listen to it.
Of course, it can be scary to trust your instincts. Many people are scared of basing their decisions on their inner voice. Experts from moving companies such as Verified Movers advise you to find a middle ground between listening to your gut and making rational, informed decisions. They urge you to remember that there is a difference between trusting your instincts and being impulsive.
Key takeaways
So, is it time to find a new home? If you have recognized yourself in one or more of these signs, it is time for you to consider moving to a new city. Be sure to research your options. Pick out the best place and the best way to move there. For instance, you can sell the home you currently own to help finance your move. If you’re doing that, you can focus some research on staging your home for a better sale.
