Can moving to a new home cause stress, anxiety, and symptoms?

Can moving to a new home cause stress, anxiety, and symptoms?

Moving is often stressful for most people. It’s more often stressful for anxious people because anxious people typically don't like change.

One of the reasons for this is because anxious people like predictability, which is safer than unpredictable things like change. Change presents uncertainty, and anxious people typically don’t like uncertainty because of the potential danger uncertainty brings.

While moving can be exciting because of the newness, it can also be stressful. Moving to a new home or location involves significant changes and disruptions to one's routines, environment, and social connections, which can be emotionally and physically demanding.

Here are some reasons why moving can be stressful:

Change and uncertainty: Moving often involves a major life transition, bringing uncertainty about the future. New surroundings and environment can be disorienting, creating anxiety.

Packing and organizing: The process of packing, deciding what to keep and discard, and organizing the logistics of the move can be taxing and even overwhelming. It requires a significant amount of time, effort, and decision-making, which can be stressful and create anxiety.

Emotional attachments: Moving often means leaving a home and location that holds sentimental value or where one has built a sense of belonging. Saying goodbye to friends, neighbors, and familiar communities can be emotionally challenging, creating anxiety and stress.

Financial pressures: The financial costs associated with moving, such as hiring packers and movers, paying for transportation, and potentially paying deposits or fees, can add financial strain, creating stress and anxiety.

Adjusting to a new environment: Moving to a new location means adapting to a new neighborhood, new routines, and potentially a different culture or lifestyle. This adjustment period can be stressful as you navigate unfamiliar territory, set up new routines, and establish new social connections.

Disruption of social support systems: Moving often requires leaving behind a support system of friends, family, or community. Building new relationships and support networks can take time and effort, leading to feelings of isolation or loneliness in the interim.

So, to answer your question, yes, moving can be stressful and cause anxiety, resulting in symptoms of anxiety and stress. Visit our Anxiety Symptoms section for more information about the many symptoms anxiety can cause.

Some research suggests that the stress of moving can take a very long time to resolve. Some estimates suggest it can take up to two years to recover from the stress of moving if a person doesn’t do anything special to speed up the recovery process.

Naturally, the extent of the move will be a factor. The stress of moving a few blocks away will be much less than moving across the country or to a different country.

So again, yes, moving can be stressful and cause anxiety, which can cause anxiety symptoms.

Faithfully practicing your recovery strategies and being patient will resolve anxiety symptoms in time.

NOTE: Everyone will experience moving differently. Some people will handle the process of moving more easily than others. If you're planning a move or already moved, and find yourself overwhelmed by stress and anxiety, you might want to connect with one of our recommended anxiety therapists, who can provide guidance and coping strategies during and after the transition.