A 20-Something’s Guide To Moving Out & Moving On

So you’re moving on the heels of a breakup. Please accept my virtual hug. Lord knows I’ve been there.

Over the last 14 years, I’ve lived in 11 different apartments. Three of those moves were inspired by a breakup with someone I shared a home with. By now, I have moving down to a science. But it never feels any less taxing. And it’s worse when there’s a breakup involved.

First comes the dreaded division of the belongings. I once came home to an apartment where every imaginable object was covered with Post-it notes reading, “This is mine.” Who knew that two humans could have such impassioned feelings about the origins of a paperback copy of The Artist’s Way? As if that weren't the worst thing imaginable, next you must package your worldly possessions and schlep them all over creation. Like me, you may feel like a dejected turtle, balancing your home on your back. Until you started packing, you had no idea you owned so many books, so many sneakers, so many half-used hair products.

At long last, you and your boxes land in your new space. Your hands have never looked so dirty. You have no idea where your toothbrush is. Occasionally, it dawns on you, like a bad dream you can’t escape: This is where you live now. Just you. Alone.

In truth, there are plenty of positives to starting over, many of which grow apparent with time. In the meantime, here are nine things I’ve found make the process a little easier. I hope you may find some comfort in them.

Moving is the worst. And the best. It can signal a fresh start or a devastating end. Whatever your style, wherever you settle, at the end of day, the most important thing is you find a place to call home. Check out more from our Get The F Out moving package here.