“Into the Unknown”
Hannah
Moving out from your childhood home and leaving the protected nest comes with some challenges. Let's see how things gonna get easier.
There are many scary things in this world. Wandering in a graveyard just at midnight for example. Or going to the basement after watching a horror movie. Or spiders. But whatever scares you, the thought of moving out from your childhood home might exceed your daily worries – in case you’re not experienced yet.
At home, you’re pretty much protected from the serious aspects of the world. And now? Now you suddenly have to face them all on your own. It’s like standing against a dragon with merely a stick to your defence and – oh, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit (I’ve never even seen a dragon…). No doubt, leaving the nest comes with some challenges. And a few discouraged moments might be unavoidable. But that can’t stop me from giving you some advice on how things are gonna get easier.
Moving out for the first time comes with two major topics to deal with:
The emotional stress and the organisation
In advance, there is room for so many concerns. And that’s understandable! Not knowing how things will go, can be, as I said, quite scary. What really helps, is to find out what exactly worries you. Then you can create a strategy to deal with your worries. For some, there might not even be a reason and the fear will go away as soon as you realise that. And keep in mind: It’s okay to have concerns, that will not stop you from going your way.
Plan your family visits
Even if you can’t wait to live on your own, finally having the freedom of doing whatever you want whenever you want, homesickness might catch up in the least expected moments. If you are used to your family being around, make sure to keep in touch. Plan your first visit in advance, call them and talk about all the new things you experience. That is not only a good way for you to process, but it also might help your family get used to you being elsewhere. Also resolving family stressors before actually leaving home will help you stay connected and feel supported. Even if your family is in a totally different place than you are.
And how to cope with all the new things around you on your own? For a new place to feel like home, it takes time, maybe just a few days, maybe months. But you can certainly speed that up. Making new friends is a great way to really arrive somewhere and thanks to our FIZZy community, it’s more than easy to meet new people.
Getting to know the area and exploring the city is just as helpful! And to make your new apartment feel like home you can decorate it just as you want to. Maybe bring a few items that remind you of home. You can even integrate habits from home into your new life. Brewing the same tea as your mom does every morning or playing basketball in the park as you used to do with your brother? Little things like these will help you to create a routine and allow you to combine new experiences with personal safe spaces. And if things are overwhelming in general, routines can often carry us through chaotic times.
Okay, let’s talk about organisation!
No matter if you move to a new country or a new city, whether you attend a university or start an apprenticeship. There will be documents to read and contracts to sign. Create a place to store all the important sheets and information in one place. This can be a folder on your laptop or one on your desk. Just make sure that you know where all the stuff is! Handing in documents often requires punctuality. And in addition to a tidy folder an updated To Do list can really help with that. And if you tend to forget about your To-Do list: Place a reminder somewhere you will definitely see it or set an alarm on your phone. Check twice if you got the date right and if everything is filled in properly. (I’m sure you get to hear it often, but…) Better safe than sorry.
Another whole theme-field of “organisation” is finance.
I know, hardly anything is more annoying than thinking about money. But believe me, taking some time to keep track will prove wise more than once! Luckily, we are blessed with today’s technology and many apps can help you track your spending related to your income. Balancing your earnings and expenses is good (and well… also important), but do you know what is even better? An emergency fund! Especially in your first years living alone, you might be surprised at what you unexpectedly have to spend money on. There are a thousand good reasons to keep a bit of your capital, just in case. Maybe you even build up a part of this fund before you actually move out.
And if we’re talking about the actual moving: It is so much easier with good planning! Even if you don’t have much stuff to take with you, knowing which things need to be where and when will save you a lot of stress (and lost items).
So… are you ready? Are you peering through that open door, thinking “Yes, I am prepared for everything”? Probably not, and that’s totally fine. You’re gonna learn a lot from moving out and usually… things evolve as they go and so do you.
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