Can moving make you happier?

Now happy where you are currently living? Think moving will make you happier? Read this article first!

Why do people relocate? The reason for moving one place to another can often be explained by the word ‘find’. People move to new place in search of a new job, house, adventure or to find greater happiness.

But sometimes, simply moving home or location isn’t the answer you hoped it would be. If you are a frequent mover and you struggle to settle anywhere, it may be worth asking yourself if it’s always the place that’s wrong, or is the issue a little closer to home (excuse the pun!)?

Some people spend their lives moving from home to home; sometimes in the same town or city, sometimes moving countries or even continents. But the thing they want to ‘find’ remains frustratingly elusive.

That could be because what they want to find is something that won’t be solved by simply swapping one home or location with another. A better street, or being closer to school or work won’t magically make you feel happier or more settled.

Instead, you need to learn how to feel content where you are now. When you can do this, it almost doesn’t matter where you live – you’ll feel at home and happy wherever you are.

Three factors that make a difference to your happiness at home

So what should you take into account if you are planning a move? When it comes to relocating, there are many factors you need to weigh up. Is your new home close enough to where you work? What are the transport links like? And what about schools and local amenities?

But as well as the practical considerations, you need to make sure you’ll be happy in your new home. Here are three things that can influence this.

1) The people

Does moving make you happy? Homes are merely bricks and mortar; they’re just a physical shell that houses the people inside. And while bright, airy and aesthetically beautiful homes can certainly help to lift your spirits, it’s hard to feel happy and fulfil your desires if that home is filled with unpleasant people who cause you emotional harm.

To a large degree, it’s the people, not the place that makes you happy. If you’re feeling depressed, you’ll feel depressed anywhere.

So if you’re considering moving because you’re not happy, first question what is making you unhappy. Is your life otherwise fine, but you just don’t like your home or location?

Or are you dissatisfied with your current life situation? Are you miserable because of the people you live with, the work you do, or do you have unresolved personal issues that are currently surfacing.

It’s a big, expensive upheaval to move house, and a futile one if you find your feelings simply follow you. Much better to first identify what is making you unhappy and make smaller, cheaper changes first.

It may be that you ultimately decide to move, but it will be a much more informed decision with more realistic expectations – and have a higher likelihood of being a successful move.

2) Your community

Cities can be thrilling to live in – you have easy access to shops, restaurants, music, art, theatre, museums and more. But many people feel safer in quieter suburbs or commuter belts.

The suburbs give many people more of a sense of community, belonging and safety, which is why you’ll often see people start to move out there once they have families. They also give them a balance of access to the city and feeling closer to rural areas, avoiding the isolation of moving far out.

So consider what’s motivating your move. Are you looking for more of a community feel? Do you want to feel safer, while not being completely out of touch from the city, nor adding a length commute to your working day?

3) Your social life

If you want to get the most house for your money, then you can move to a more remote part of your country. But you could find yourself rattling around in an empty mansion!

As we’ve already explored, a house only becomes a home thanks to the people who live in it – and those who visit it. And an isolated property is likely to leave you living far apart from your friends and family – and struggling to build a local community to fill that hole.

So when thinking about a move, make sure you take into account the people who you’ll be moving close to. Do you have friends and family there already? And if not, will there be people living nearby that you feel you could get to know and build a new circle of friends and acquaintances from?

The people who will fill your life are as important – if not more – than the size and location of the home you move to. So make sure you’ll enjoy a rich social life in your new location before you move.