Will Moving to a New Place Help My Depression? The Answer is More Complicated than You Think

Depression can make people despise the current place they live. Whatever the reason behind their depression is, in some cases, people simply think that moving to a new place will help. While this can be true in some cases, there’s no guarantee that moving will help you escape a depressive state. Multiple factors need to be considered to determine if moving will indeed help with someone’s depression. In this article, we will have a look at those factors.

Cases Where Moving Helps

A Fresh Start

If your depression is deeply associated with the place you currently live, you may think of relocating somewhere else to have a fresh start. For example, you may have negative memories created exclusively in that place, and living there reminds you of it.

Moving out of a place like that will help you keep those negative thoughts away, as your new home will no longer be associated with bad memories. While it may not make your depression totally go away, but will help for sure.

Giving Yourself the Time to Heal

At times, things can be too overwhelming. Maybe you live in a shared apartment with a few other people, or you still live with your parents. You may not be able to afford the privacy and the ‘me-time’ you need to heal because of not living alone.

Moving out on your own and finding a solitary place can help if that is the case. Living with people means there will be situations where you will have to interact with them even when you don’t have the energy to do so. However, this may also backfire, as you may feel lonely after a while. That’s why it’s crucial to understand if you do need some time alone or not.

Going Away from a Toxic Environment

Moving to a new place also means moving to an entirely new environment. While this may seem a bit overwhelming, if your current location doesn’t make you happy, it’s better to let go of that place and move somewhere with a positive environment.

A toxic environment may stand for many things, such as a bad neighborhood, an unclean area, abusive parents, etc. Such environments make depression even worse. Depressed people need positive energy, and if they need to move somewhere else to get that, they should do precisely that.

Making New Friends

A depressive state can worsen if you don’t have anyone to share how you feel. Sometimes, it’s impossible to share it with the people you already know. Making new friends can be an excellent coping mechanism in such a scenario. If you move to a new place, you’ll likely make new friends. These new friends will not judge you based on your past, as they haven’t known you in the past.

You’ll be like a clean slate to them, just like they will be to you. It’s much easier to share what you want to share with new friends than with people who already have a fixed mindset about you.

Exposure to New Culture and Activities

Depending on where you move, you will be exposed to new cultures and activities. It’s exhilarating to experience new things, especially fun activities.

For example, if you move to Vegas, you may get blown away by the buzzing nightlife the city has to offer. Maybe this is exactly what you need to come out of depression and start appreciating the small things in life once again. However, it depends on where you move and what you leave behind in your old place.

Consult with a Counselor

If you are depressed, the first thing you should consider is to get professional help. You must discuss your depressive state with a counselor who can tell you if moving should be the right choice for you. Remember, moving is not an easy process, as you will need to pack your belongings, hire movers, carry your stuff to the new house, unpack them, and arrange everything in the new space.

Moreover, moving may cost a significant amount of money. You may not be ready to take care of all these if you are depressive. A mental health professional can guide you and tell you if you should actually consider moving.

Bottom Line

Remember, moving to a new place will not eliminate your depression on its own. Regardless of moving to a new place, you must identify the actual reason behind your depression and work on it. You shouldn’t expect the new place to do some kind of magic. Otherwise, if you still feel depressed after moving to a new place, it will become far worse than before.

Have you ever had an overwhelming urge to move away?