Settle into your new community
You have now arrived at your new home, unpacked and started to settle in. Provisions have been prepared for the immediate future — schools have been found for your kids; your new residence is set up — but if you are in a brand new environment, you’re still a long way away from inaugurating your new house into a new home.
How long that will take will depend on your circumstances. Do you have family in the area, a work friend, or childhood memories of times spent close by? These aspects offer a reassuring sense of familiarity, even though you’ve only just arrived. Or maybe, you might feel like so many of us do when we arrive in a new area with a job lead and two old varsity friends in the city.
Relocating can potentially be a stressful process. Apart from the boxes and arrangements, you’ll need new “connections” to create the feeling of home and community that only time can bring. Creating a new home is about relationships with friends, neighbours, teachers and small business owners.
How can you go about making your new house and environment feel like home? Here are a few tips for settling into your new community:
- Drive yourself beyond your usual comfort zone. Teach yourself to do something you wouldn’t routinely do. This could be something as simple as taking a walk with your dog every morning in a park, surrounded by other pet owners instead of alone along quiet streets.
- Community engagement can be one of the best ways of creating significant new ties. Discover new opportunities through local community centres, your job, churches, schools or even online.
- Join a club. Salsa dancing, rock climbing, chess? Find rapport groups in your area. Closely resume one or two activities you engaged in before moving. You’ll meet people with similar interests straight off the bat.
- Search for a common-interest support network. If you have children, look for a young families group. Religious or faith traditions? Begin looking for a new church around your community now.
- Get a map and explore. Seeing your new surroundings is fun and almost instantly creates commonality with other people. And you’ll start developing favourite rendezvous — a true indication of home.
- Try something completely new. Ever wanted to take up a cooking class? Try it out. Take full advantage of the new adventures and possibilities you come across. You’ll make friends with common interests along the way.
Starting afresh in a new community requires patience, but being proactive will soon have you feeling at home. But before all of that, you’ll need to ensure that you have an efficient moving company. Better Moves offers top-quality removal and storage services in Gauteng. Whatever moving service you are looking for – household movers, office movers or container storage – ask Better Moves for a quote today and have peace of mind knowing that you have contacted one of the best removal and storage companies in Johannesburg. Once settled into your new place, all you’ll need to concentrate on will be settling into your new community.
