An estimated 700,000 people left London for the countryside during Lockdown, opting for more space to work from home and have the great outdoors on their doorstep. Furthermore, a report from PriceWaterhouseCoopers found that if Londoners left so quickly, the city’s population would decline for the first time in the 21st century.
However, while many people are enjoying their new found freedom, others are starting to regret their decision and are flocking back to the city, having made the most expensive mistake of their lives.
Under pressure
Panic-buying took hold in lockdown and it wasn’t just toilet roll we were going mad for. There were houses, too. A recent survey by the insurer Aviva found that 94% of pandemic property purchasers felt under pressure to buy quickly, while half of homebuyers who bought during the pandemic regret how much they paid. Only one in eight who bought before early 2017 felt the same.
Fantasy meets reality
With much of the workforce now back at their desks for at least part of the working week, a countryside commute coupled with less of a local social scene to return to, doesn’t make for much of a ‘life after London’ for some.
The countryside can be a lonely place for city-dwellers who have left behind a host of friends, and have never been met with driving a fair distance to get a coffee, or forgoing takeaway because….well, they just don’t happen in the sticks.
The lure of FOMO
The grass may have looked greener for those who opted to seek out more living space and gardens in the country. But when London’s social scene is fully functioning, the city’s bright lights make it a hard destination to resist. From theatres, live music, comedy and dance to museums, bars, restaurants and festivals there is always so much to do here. And the fear of missing out on experiences is very real.
Moving to the countryside perhaps isn’t so much about missing London, but missing what it offers.
So what do you do, when you regret moving?
Moving to a new location with a view to changing your existing way of life is always going to feel strange. The environment will be unfamiliar which can heighten feelings of loss and nostalgia.
Painting and decorating a new place can make it feel cosier and comfier to live in. Unpacking properly and surrounding yourself with familiar things can speed up the process of warming up a new home.
Exploring your new town or village will help you get to know the area better. Discovering the local charms and quirks can take a while, but there will be little hidden gems to uncover that will bring some magic to your move.
Giving yourself time to meet new friends and adapt to your new house as ‘home’ will hopefully help ease anxious feelings.
And if you still feel remorseful about your move?
Selling up and moving back is a somewhat last resort, but if you’ve tried everything and you still cannot shift those feelings, then you can either move back to London, or opt for another new city location entirely in a bid to find the sense of happiness you’ve lost along the way.