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What Are the Positive and Negative Psychological Effects of Moving Frequently

Oct/12/2021 12:00 PM- Moving -

Are you curious about the psychological effects of moving frequently or worried that relocations might affect your or your children's mental health? This is a very complex topic, and the outcome depends on many factors - one of the most important ones is your personality. The way you see things, experience life challenges, and your core beliefs turn you into a unique individual that might go through these phases like a victim or a hero. The question is - which one will you become?

Sign showing different ways to move

How Does Moving a Lot Affect a Person?

Relocating frequently isn't completely natural, and it can definitely have a certain effect on a person's mental health. Every time we move, we go through certain relocation stress. Stressing occasionally isn't that dangerous as stressing over and over again and feeling certain relocation-related emotions that can shake us to the core. Every person has a different capacity in dealing with stressors, and that's known as the level of resilience. Someone can deal with severe traumatic events and survive them unaffected, while mild stress can lead to severe trauma for other people.

Is Moving Around Too Much Bad?

Relocation is known as one of the most traumatic events, so relocating frequently is potentially dangerous. The negative effects depend on the type of personality. If you're a person who's constantly searching for something new or needs to change your environment in order to feel happy and complete, relocating frequently doesn't have to be necessarily bad for you. If, on the other hand, you deal with the smallest changes badly, the emotional effects of moving frequently can be fatal for your mental health. 

Can Moving a Lot Cause Trauma?

Psychology shows that this isn't necessarily related to the number of times you move. Sometimes, even the first big change you make in your life can be experienced as a traumatic event. You need to learn how to adapt to many changes, and you don't have any previous experience in this, so this will definitely be hard for you. You might express anxiety about relocating, detachment issues, and hopelessness. Negative emotions, cognitive dysfunctions, and even physical symptoms might occur if you don't know how to deal with this process properly. If you feel like these negative emotions overwhelm you, don't hesitate to look for professional help.

In case you often move for work and love this at the beginning, it's not excluded that one day you'll experience some negative emotions. Humans tend to attach to other human beings and places. Once you start developing certain feelings, making friends and start feeling accepted, there comes another change, and you have to adapt to the new environment all over again. It is likely that this might eventually lead to burnout, so you always need to look for certain symptoms that will show you if your mental health is in danger.


Why Is Moving Good for Mental Health? You'll Meet New Friends and Have Amazing and Unique Life Experiences

Apart from potential dangers, relocation can be a supreme chance for mental growth and emotional development. One of the first major changes in almost everyone's life is leaving their parents' home and starting life on their own. Change in the environment has many positive effects on our personality. We learn how to adapt to new conditions, how to overcome certain situations on our own and how to handle various problems without anyone's help. It is also likely that we'll stay open for new experiences, and without that, we lose the opportunity for any growth. Sure, the comfort zone is a comfortable place, but if you stay in it for too long, you can experience the same negative emotions of hopelessness or miss out on finding meaning and a purpose in life.

It Is Likely That You'll Get Better Life Opportunities When You Move to a New Place

One of the biggest benefits of relocating to a new place is that this might bring you some amazing opportunities. For example, you could be moving in with your girlfriend or boyfriend for the first time, which is a great chance for emotional growth. You can also plan to move to another city for a better job where you can succeed in your career. If you're relocating with kids, they can get a chance for better education. Relocations can also be good for your physical health if you move somewhere where you can spend more days in nature or simply lower the commute time, which will bring you enough energy for other activities.

You Will Meet Many Interesting People

Psychology shows us that building deeper relationships with people is good on many levels - it helps you feel understood and comfortable. One of the things that relocations bring is an opportunity to make great friendships and relations - from different cultures and with various experiences. Their presence in your reality can sometimes have life-changing effects. You can learn things that you never expected, you'll learn how to communicate better and not waste time on insignificant relations, and most importantly - you'll learn what you expect from others and how you should treat them according to their actions towards you.

You'll Adapt to Changes and Challenges Quickly and Efficiently

Another great benefit of relocating is that you'll learn how to deal with numerous problems and situations because you'll find yourself in many of them. If you live your whole lifetime in one place where everything is familiar and things never change, you'll stay trapped in the same phase, and you'll never learn how to overcome potential obstacles that the future brings. Overcoming different issues on your own will make you a stronger person, which will lead to a happier and healthier lifestyle.

You Won't Get Attached to Materialistic Things, and You'll Value Experiences More

One of the biggest issues in modern lifestyle that psychology shows is that humans get attached to materialistic things - one of the reasons they have anxiety before relocating. We feel comfortable in our current surroundings because we're used to it, and looking for a new apartment might seem like a nightmare.

How will you decide where to live, how to organize your packing for a move, and downsize it when you want to keep everything? Someone who relocates often doesn't have a problem getting rid of things that they don't need, in fact, they stop getting attached to materialistic things and become more open to different experiences which they cherish and bring with them as memories. The more often you move, the more you realize that relocating furniture isn't the most important thing, you'll organize your move better, learn how to avoid common relocation mistakes and how to save money for important investments.

Group of friends laughing

What Are the Negative Consequences and Psychological Effects of Moving Frequently

If you're moving out for the first time, you might be unaware of potential negative consequences or even fail to recognize the clear symptoms of deranging mental health during and after this process. In order to save yourself and stay protected from potential trauma, you need to be aware of some negative things that might happen and the best ways to overcome them.

Sometimes You'll Feel Isolated and Lonely

One of the worst things that can happen is that you'll feel lonely and isolated from some important life events of your friends and family, and this is something you'll need to accept. It might be hard to miss your mother's birthday or some other important occasion, but you can always find a way to show your appreciation by talking to your family and friends frequently and sending them cards and gifts to show them you care. They will be grateful for your attention, and you'll feel better and closer to them even if you're far away from them.

You Can Experience Stress, Depression, and Anxiety When Leaving Your Home

Stress is something that undeniably comes with relocation, so you'll need to learn how to minimize it. Anxiety is also something that can occur because it is known as a fear of the unknown, and that's closely related to starting a new chapter. Depression might occur after the relocation process is over and you start experiencing some negative emotions related to your move and change of environment. All of these psychological side effects are closely connected, and you might experience them occasionally, even without racial explanation. Mood swings are understandable for someone who's going through big transitions, so you need to give yourself enough time to deal with your condition.

Girl feeling lonely after a move

You Need to pay Extra Attention If You're Relocating With Kids

Last-minute moves are not healthy for children because they need more time and capacity to adapt to changes, especially if they just adapted to the previous place. Don't be harsh to them and try to understand and respect their needs and aspirations as well. You're a parent, so you should learn that sometimes you need to put your children's well-being in front of your personal wishes. In order to have a healthy childhood, you need to provide stability - that means a safe base where they can always come back and a routine that will keep them focused on their personal development instead of constantly spending their energy to adapt to changes.

Child struggling after a move

Best Tips For Coping With Frequent Relocations

If you have to adapt to frequent relocations because of your job or any other reason, there are few coping tips that can help you deal with your emotions:

     Stay physically active,

     Don't ignore your feeling and openly talk to people,

     Express your emotions,

     Don't pressure yourself to achieve unrealistic expectations,

     Find a hobby that it's not related to one place or even better - the one that requires changing places,

     Reframe negative thoughts and always look for positive aspects of a move.

     Don't cut off people from your past and stay in touch with people you're close with, no matter the distance.

Girl enjoying new environment after using an app to compare moving companies to move

Hire Professional Movers For Assistance - This Will Help You Go Through Any Transition Easily

One of the things that you might find more than helpful during your relocation process is hiring professionals. It will be much easier to move with their assistance than going through everything on your own. Every relocation comes with different challenges, and you can't be prepared for every situation and problem that might occur, so having them by your side can sometimes feel life-saving. One of the positive sides of relocating is that you can easily find convenient help by using the Mod24 app to compare moving companies.

Once you know where you are relocating and when all you need to do is use this moving app to find available movers in your area. On this app for moving, you can also find details such as potential pricing ratio and different options. If you want to save money, you can always switch the date of your move, or you can change the company. The final price also depends on the services you choose, so sometimes downsizing your move can be a convenient solution. If you're frequently relocating, you probably don't bring many things with you for every move, so it will be easier to find available and affordable help. Don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions - just contact our customer service, and we'll try our best to find you a suitable solution.

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