Moving into a new community and settling down is a harsh period, for most people, especially for introverts. Leaving all you know, all your family and friends, your habits, and your lifestyle will put you out of your comfort zone. This will in most cases trigger some kind of depression or relocation stress. However, we all know that the key to a new and fresh start is to accept the situation and embrace your new house as a home. Also, you’ll need to connect with members of the community where you just moved in to be able to relax and feel like you are on your territory.
You need to start feeling like you belong here and you won’t do that by decorating your new house or browsing the street on your own. What you need is to become a member of the new community and meet new people. Make new friends, and you will be able to claim a new place as home. It might seem like a hard and daunting thing to do, but it is way easier.
Moving Into A New Community
Even the birds on trees know how relocating to a new city is a stressful process. Not only because of endless rows of boxes and suitcases that await you to unpack and rearrange them. It is mainly because you are starting from zero, and now you are the one responsible for creating that sense of belonging to a community.
Therefore, you need to accept the fact that besides your effort, only time can deliver you that. Home can be everywhere if you decide like that. Be proactive and arm yourself with patience this will be a long journey, but a successful one! Here are some very useful tips that you should apply daily if you want to speed up the settling process.
Make the first step
How can you expect to find new friends, and link with your neighbors if you don’t make the first step? You do not need to do something you wouldn’t naturally do, but you need to start talking to new people in order to make friends, no matter how intimidating that might seem.
Go for walk with your dog and link with the other owners. Pet lovers always build a strong community, make sure you become a part of it. It will be great for you and your dog since he will also feel disconnected after the move. Chill out in your yard, plant some seeds, and look for a chance to chat with your first neighbor. Invite them over, be a good sport and show interest in getting to know them better.
Remember that coffee shop I mentioned earlier? Why wouldn’t you make friends with the barista while you are there? Build a community in your workplace, you’ll see that people most of the days. Maybe some of your friends know someone in the city. Ask them to link you up, don’t be shy.
There are a lot of options all you have to do is to relax and act.
Take participation in community events!
A great way for meeting new people is to volunteer. Participate in local events, or find a community that needs help on regular basis, make yourself useful, you will feel much better after you establish some new routine. Find some charity that is important to you, maybe you previous organization has a section here as well.
If you have some hobbies that you can practice and help others that are in need, then find a club and connect with people. If you have kids, then it will be easy for you to find new friends among other parents. Schools are always open for parents who would like to volunteer.
Join local clubs
If you love running, then find a local running club and join them. The options are endless, and this way you will be able to connect with people who share the same passion as you, and that is a great way to bond with someone and start building a friendship.
If you don’t have any hobbies, now is the perfect time to discover one. Maybe you can join a salsa club and learn to dance, this will be beneficial for your health and your relationship with other people. You can learn to cook or to improve your skills, learn to prepare dishes from some exotic cuisine.
The point is that as long as you mingle among people you will feel better, don’t stay up home binge-watching old tv shows when you can start living.
Explore the neighborhood
Settling into a new community is mostly about meeting new people. However, it is also very important to learn to get around the city and not get lost. To find out where you should go shopping, where is the nearest vet ambulance, a drugstore, or post office, you get the point. Also, places like this are crowded with people that you can meet.
In the first few weeks in your new city, you are practically still a tourist. So act like one. Google some popular attractions in your area, and look for new museums, theaters, national parks, and cultural amenities. Visit some restaurants and bars and try to relax. Explore some new options who knows you might like them. See what it has to offer, and find new favorite hang-out spots. Maybe you’ll discover some new interests and passions along the way as well as people who think the same as you.
Be adventurous and it will pay off significantly, it is never too late to meet new friends.
New Community, New Opportunity
Instead of being anxious about your upcoming move and changing your lifestyle why not change your point of view? You are getting a new chance to create the lifestyle you always wanted to have. When you change your location, you are starting from zero. Maybe you never had a good relationship with your neighbors and your community, but now you can change that. Maybe some of those new people you are about to meet will become a friend you don’t want to spend a day without. Or if you are a single person, you might find your soulmate while exploring the new community.
Think about it, it will be as good as you arrange it, no one else can do that instead of you. Moreover, there are some things that other people can do instead of you, and that is everything moving-related. Why don’t you book an early flight and start exploring your new neighborhood while the team of expert movers from iMOVE NYC is handling everything else?
If that sounds like a good plan to you, send us an email now.