If you think moving is going to improve your life, you need to consider your reasons for moving. If moving involves running away from yourself or your circumstances, you may find that your life does not change. However, if you’re moving for clearly defined positive reasons, there’s no doubt that moving can improve your life.

Moving across the country

We decided to move across the country for many different reasons. We felt it was time to move away from a place we had lived for most of our lives. We wanted to find a more peaceful, secure place for our retirement years. A vacation on the North Shore of Long Island convinced us to make a move.

Moving to Kensington Estates meant that we were a short distance from Woodbury, Huntington and Spring Harbor. One of the reasons we chose this gated townhome community in the town of Oyster Bay was for the acres of green open space with natural vegetation.

Another reason was all the superb facilities that we felt could make a difference to our retirement as well as the opportunity to make friends with others experiencing the same stage of life as us.

A change in geography doesn’t always improve your life

What I personally discovered after making the move is that a change in geography does not always mean your life changes for the better.

Even if you are moving to an almost idyllic place, change is never easy. It takes time to feel settled in a new place and build new friendships. After a lifetime of living in a certain place, making a big change can be scary.

One advantage is that we weren’t leaving family behind. All our children had already dispersed all over the country. In fact, by moving closer to New York, we were much closer to them and our grandchildren than before.

Reasons why moving is a good idea

Living in the same place all your life tends to give you fewer opportunities to improve it.

You don’t want to leave your roots, family and the landscape you know and love. After a while, however, you may end up living a life of quiet desperation instead of being exposed to new opportunities and challenges.

When people move from one state to another, they usually imagine what their new neighbors will be like and how they will fit into a new environment. What they may not consider is how the move will change them as a person.

Something as simple as a change in weather can have a psychological effect on people. Those who move from a dark, cold environment to a sunny one often experience a lift in spirits.

It is possible to change your life for the better just by changing the people you surround yourself with. As I began to make new friends and settle in to a new way of life, I found that I was more relaxed and happy than I had been in years. Overcoming some of my fears and facing new challenges made me stronger.

I also realized that having new opportunities gave me and my husband a new lease on life. We realized just how wonderful life could be as we took up walking, birding and golfing for the first time in our lives.

I took up painting and it made me feel as though I had discovered a whole new me. I am exploring parts of myself that were willingly sacrificed to bring up a family. The moving itself was quite a difficult experience but we wouldn’t have the lifestyle we have now if we had stayed where we were.