10 Pieces Of Advice On Moving To A New State

Hi all! Happy Tuesday :). Exactly one year ago on Sunday (the 9th) I boarded my flight from Chicago to LAX with a one way ticket, two large suitcases, and a million and two emotions running through my head! It is a day that I will never forget. It was something I had talked about for years and it was finally all happening, I was moving to a new state!

Here’s a little backstory for you all. I had packed up and moved across the country before, to attend college at the University of Arizona (beardown Wildcats!). But for those four years of living in Arizona, I always knew it was a temporary thing and that I’d end up back in Chicago after graduation to go to law school. After moving back to Chicago and doing long distance with Matt, we both realized that both Chicago and New York was not where we wanted to start to build our lives together. After many intense conversations we decided that LA was where we wanted to be!

Matt found a job before I did and moved right before I graduated from law school. I immediately booked a trip out to LA for August to start my job hunt. It was a whirlwind experience and everything happened so fast. In those 4 short weeks I was able to land my DREAM job. Only kicker was I had to immediately fly back to Chicago, pack up, move and start work all in 9 short days! So I flew back to Chicago, packed up my things, bought a car over the phone, signed my papers for my job, got myself a one way ticket and before I knew it I was on the plane heading to La La Land with a million and two emotions running through my head!

Well, here I am one year later, still going strong with Matt, still just as obsessed with my job as I was when I got my offer, and loving life here in LA. It is not easy to pack up your life and move to a completely new place. So on the anniversary of my move, I decided to share a few things I’ve learned over the past year about moving to a new state:

1. It’s OK to be nervous – you’re embarking on a new adventure in a new city, you should be nervous.
2. Explore everything – you never know what is in your new backyard or new city, so make sure you explore and see all it has to offer. One year later there are still so many places and things I’ve yet to do and see!
3. Join meet up groups for things that interest you – Matt turned me on to this one. There’s an app for your phone, called Meet Up, and they have groups for everything! From joining a volleyball team, to happy hours, etc. You name it, there is probably a group for it! It’s a great way to get out there and meet new people in your new city.
4. Ask co-workers for recommendations – Your co-workers will know where the good happy hour spots are, what restaurants are a must-go, where to go out at night, and they usually turn into some of your good friends!
5. Constantly remind yourself that you can do this! – Some days you might think to yourself “what the f*** did I get myself in to? Why did I move?” Tell yourself that you can do this and you’re so courageous for doing this! You’re leaving the comfort of your home to try something new, and that’s amazing!! Not many people could do that, so just keep reminding yourself how courageous you are for getting out of your comfort zone!
6. Build a gallery wall of memories in your home – One of the first things I did was create print out a bunch of pictures of some of my favorite memories with family and friends and hang it up. It was a great reminder of all the people who love and support me and a comforting feeling to have in my home.
7. Stay in touch with people from home – Don’t forget the people back at home just because you’ve moved on to something else in your life. They’ve been there for you and supported your decision to move, don’t forget that!
8. Don’t compare your new life to your old one – This may seem like common sense to some, but sometimes you need to be reminded of this. Your new life in your new city will not be the same as it was before. There will be new energy and new vibes and comparing them to your old life can only hurt you.
9. Take time to get acclimated to your new city – There most likely will be times where you say “OMG WHY DID I DO THIS” (like I’ve mentioned before) and this is totally normal. But you wanted to move for a reason so give yourself at least a year to acclimate to your new life before throwing in the towel. After a year, you will be more settled into your new lifestyle and probably feel more confident in your decision to move.
10. Say YES – A co-worker asks you if you want to grab a drink after work, say yes! An acquaintance from college invites you to go out on Friday night, say yes! A friend of a friend asks if you want to go on a hike, say yes! Fill your time up with doing things with people you may not know very well. This will help you make new friends, and ensure that you don’t have too much free time to contemplate if you made the right decision!

So those are the 10 things I’ve learned by packing up and moving to a new city! Would love to hear about your moving experiences or other advice you may have in the comments! Have a great week