According to a survey, this common activity is more stressful than losing a job

What’s more distressing than lose the job ? Imagine there is another event that could cause a notorious stress, according to an American study. And you will undoubtedly experience this event several times in your life: it’s about moving.

A new survey of 2,000 Americans who have moved in the past five years confirms the impact of this event, although quite common, on mental health. The interviewees actually stated this moving was more stressful than losing your job (27%), change careers (23%) and even run for president (21%)! Just that.

Why is moving so harmful?

While changing your life can be liberating, most respondents said they felt a mix of anxiety (53%) and excitement (52%) during the move. The emotions experienced also include joy (35%), hope (32%) and fear (21%).

But why is moving such a stressful experience? Some studies even speak of greater stress than divorce or the birth of children. “A move, just like a death or a layoff, reactivates everything linked to the idea of ​​loss. It is a passage, a threshold to cross. Let's leave something known, let's close a door definitively." explains the psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Marie-Claude Gavard, in an article on Figaro. After all, it depends on the circumstances, we don't experience things the same way if the move is related to the loss of income/job or the desire to expand because a new member joins the family.

On the bright side, some Americans also felt relieved when they moved. Some said this is because they are finally moving on to a better stage in their lives (38%) and moving away from a toxic environment (25%).