Moving Tips - Feeling at Home

Moving to a new city is scary. You feel lost, and it's worse when everyone around you is happy with good friends and fun things to do. Apparently, it takes at least a year to get settled. I've had it easier than most in that I already felt comfortable in Austin, but I'm still working on feeling completely at home. Here are a couple of things that are making it easier on me:

1. Find the closest grocery store, gas station, pet store, drug store, hair dresser, park, etc and claim it. I have my HEB for groceries, my Central Market for flowers, and my hair dresser as well as a my local gas station and favorite park. Whenever you mention it, refer to it as yours. The same goes for when you refer to your new place - it's your home. It sounds silly, but it really does make you feel a connection to the place.

2. Volunteer. You may or may not make good friends there, but at least you're helping others. This should help you to stop fixating on your situation. I volunteer at a children's hospital and love it. It's hard to feel sorry for yourself when you're spending time with kids.

3. Join a group. Depending on your city, the type of activity will vary. For example, Austin is very outdoorsy - people are all about running, sports, and outdoor activities. One group that I've heard about is Hill Country Outdoors (HCO) - an outdoor, sporting and social events club. Events include everything from hikes and kayaking to comedy clubs and bowling. There are also quite a few running clubs including RunTex and AustinFit. I'm still planning on joining a running club, but want to work on my cardio before having to run in public.

4. Get out of your comfort zone; whatever that may be. At least once a week, try to do something that you've never done before. I'm not sure how this helps with feeling at home, but it should, at least, keep you entertained. I have to take my own advice on this one; I'll try to start next week and keep you posted.

Have you moved recently? Can you think of any other tips to help get settled and feel at home? Let me know!