Today is the big day! The movers come at 9 a.m., and tonight will be my first night in my new home.
For the past few weeks, I have been going over to my new apartment with a small carload of items, unloading everything, and putting things in their rightful places. Mostly. I have books stacked in multiple rooms, bins sitting on my kitchen counters waiting to be tucked into their proper place on my cube bookshelves, and a mountain of clothes balanced precariously on a shelf in my walk-in closet, ready to be organized into my dresser drawers. So not everything is in its rightful place, but I do have a new shower curtain up and coordinating bathroom rugs. I have a nightstand that I put together in fits and starts during my visits to the new place. I have a new doormat that makes me smile, an area rug for my bedroom, and cat scratchers for the girls to welcome them to their new home.
It’s all super exciting, but I can’t lie: I’m also dealing with some anticipatory anxiety.
I’m anxious that I’ll feel out of sorts, the way I typically do during the first few days in a new place. I have a plan in place to help me with the anxiety that will come—calling my mom, reaching out to friends, reading a beloved book, and cueing up a favorite sitcom to watch when things start feeling heavy. I’m still worried about the process of going through it. It’s not fun to be in the muck. But I know it won’t last forever, and I will soon feel at home in my new home.
Other things I’m anxious about… locking my cats in the bathroom while the movers are here. (Both the process of getting both cats into the bathroom and hoping they aren’t too traumatized by all the noise.) How they’ll handle the adjustment to the new place. Increased living expenses. All the feelings I’m going to have as I say goodbye to the apartment I’ve called home for the last five years.
This move has been a long time coming, though. It is what I have wanted more than anything—a two-bedroom apartment so I can have an office. I won’t have to look at my workstation in the corner of my living room. It won’t taunt me every time I turn around in my apartment. I won’t have the lure of my couch right behind me on my workdays. It will all be much more conducive to a focused work environment, and I am very much looking forward to that.
And I’m just looking forward to having more space! I’ll have a screened-in patio that I can actually use, a large living area that could probably hold a few more bookshelves if I were so inclined, and a bigger bathroom with the most glorious tub I ever did see (my bubble baths are about to level up). I have a kitchen with a pantry I can use, more counter space, and a hell of a lot more cabinets. I’ll have a full-size washer and dryer that’s hidden in a closet—my current washer/dryer makes so much noise that I can’t use it if I have a meeting-heavy day. And I won’t be living on a busy street where I hear sirens and traffic and loud motorcycles all day long. Yes, the budget is going to be a bit tighter, but it’s going to be well worth it.
So here we go! It’s time to get all moved in and start making my new apartment a home.
Hope the move goes smoothly! It sounds like there is so much to love about your new place 🙂
Thank you! Everything went well and I am so relieved the hard part it over.
Of course all the change is unsettling, even a change you want, but gosh it’s going to be awesome once you’re settled in! I’ll keep my fingers crossed that everything goes as smoothly as it can. Looking forward to pictures!
Thank you! The move went so well, yay! And I’m not experiencing too much post-move anxiety, which I am very relieved about. Mostly I’m just excited to finally be in the new space for good!
This is SO exciting, Stephany. It sounds like you’ve really thought about this and planned for it and the upgrades all sound well worthwhile. And you have some good supports in place to help you with those first few nights. (I would be right there with you — change is HARD and SCARY even when it’s RIGHT and GOOD.) Not sure if this would be helpful to you, but a coping thought I find very soothing is “This is not permanent.” When we moved into this house in 2023, and things kept going wrong, I kept telling myself (and asking my husband to tell me) that we could always find a different house and move if it turned out we hated this one. Would it be expensive and a huge pain in the ass? Of course. But it helped me remember that I wasn’t STUCK in a terrible situation. And the bumpy road smoothed out and now I love living here and I’m really glad I stuck it out.
If you need some soothing cat photos / videos, I am just a text away. Happy first night in your new place! xxoo
Thank you so much, friend! I have to keep reminding myself of the same thing. Like, when I get anxious about increased living expenses, I just keep reminding myself that if it winds up being too much, I can always find something cheaper next year. It wouldn’t be ideal, but I’m not “stuck” if I end up hating everything. Luckily, I love this new place and thanks to a special they were running when I applied, I don’t have to worry about rent in December and January, which will give me time to catch up, budget-wise!
Change – even a good change that we chose – is change and is harder for those of us with anxious tendencies! I’m glad you have some plans in place to deal with the feelings that may bubble up. It always takes me awhile to adjust to the new sounds/feeling of a new home. It takes a good month for it to real like it’s actually home for you. But you’ll get there and be so glad that you are in a bigger place! Having a room for your office is life changing. I nearly always work in my basement office and am far more productive in that space. I’m currently working in the dining room for a few days because the wifi connection is better and I need the sunlight from our patio door. But 99% of the time, it’s best for me to be out of the main area of our house!
Good luck settling in!! I do love the settling in/organizing process. And enjoy the fact that your fridge is spotless currently!! I feel like I just cleaned ours and it’s already pretty gross. Womp womp.
I am so excited to finally have my own office! I think it’s really going to help my productivity.
When I started removing items from my fridge to bring over to the new place, I was very disturbed by how gross my fridge had gotten. It’s just not something you see unless you take everything out! Blergh. I love how clean and neat everything is in the new place, especially the floors. They will be filled with cat hair in no time!
Congrats on the big day! Having a separate work area that you can close off when you leave work is going to be huge. Moving day might be a little rough for the girls, but just wait until they find out about the screened in porch. That’s a huge lifestyle upgrade for the three of you!
See you on the other side of the move!
Thank you, friend! Eloise definitely lost her goddamn mind when she saw the patio and since the weather has been nice, I can keep the door open so she can go in and out as she pleases, which makes her very happy. 🙂
Woo Hoo! How exciting that you’ve moved into your new place! Congratulations! It sounds like an amazing apartment, and I’m sure it’ll feel like home in no time. Not hearing sirens and traffic sounds like an extra good aspect of the move.
Thank you! I’ve been doing better than expected on the anxiety front, and I think once everything is unpacked and the girls are settled, it will feel even more like home. 🙂
Congratulations! I think when things are a long time coming, those of us with anxiety have to navigate such big feelings even when the thing we waited for is what we want and is good that it’s all swirly. Moving is a lot and it’s ok to feel a lot! I’m glad you have a plan for yourself in place and I’m so excited about this space for you!! A screened in porch! An office!!! You’ve totally got this.
Big feelings – YES. I think sometimes I want to be someone who is super flexible and can handle change (even good change!) without falling apart, but that’s just not the way my brain works. 🙂 So far, I’ve been okay and I think once everything is unpacked and the girls feel more at home, I will feel better about things, too.
EXCITING! I’m thrilled for you, this all sounds amazing. I know the first few days may be rough, but I like Suzanne’s ideas for helping yourself through it. I hope you and the girls settle in quickly!
I envy you, would love to have an office and a pantry. ENJOY!
Tomorrow will be my first workday from my office and I am just ECSTATIC! (Not about work, about the office, muahaha.)
The night stand is SO cuuute. Congratulations on the new place, I hopd you’ll love it and feel at home really soon. Happy Halloween too.
I am so in love with the nightstand! I wish it were a little bigger but it works just fine for what I need right now. 🙂
Yay! This is so, so exciting, and it sounds like you’re going to love your new place. But I know- change is hard. You and the cats will all have to get used to it together. It’s definitely hard with cats- they DEFINITELY don’t like change, but they’ll get used to it and you will too. Good luck with everything and I can’t wait to see photos when you’re all set up!
Thank you! I’m so in love with this new space and can’t wait to get everything unpacked and feel more settled. 🙂 The girls are doing good so far – Eloise took to the new apartment quickly, and Lila is starting to come around. She gets braver every day!
So excited for you.
Your new place sounds like an amazing upgrade. I am sure you’ll feel at home in no time.
Looking forward seeing more photos and what you do with the place.
Happy (belated) moving date).
Thank you! I’m just amazed at all the extra SPACE I have. I have no idea what to do with it all, but I know I’ll figure it out. 🙂
I am so excited for you and the girls!!!! It’s so smart to prepare ahead for those feelings and have some things in your toolbox when they come up. I feel like I am constantly reminding myself that feelings won’t last forever… you aren’t alone! <3
I am SO GLAD that your experience thus far has been the opposite of mine this past summer. So, so glad. I was worried that sharing what I went through would make you worry more. (I’m sorry if it did, my friend – not my intention at all…)
I cannot wait to hear more about your new space and how it is working for you. You always arrange your spaces so nicely. As someone who literally cannot decorate, it’s inspiring to see how you put it all together. I hope there will be more pictures to come. 🙂 <3