Moving to a new city can be an exciting experience. You are looking forward to the fresh start, you've set up your apartment the way you want, and you begin to embrace your new job.

But after a while, you start to realize your new routine isn't as enjoyable as what you had before. You don't know anyone and you're struggling to make new friends. This is when relocation depression starts to set in, and it starts to feel like you will never be as happy as what you once were. This is a common feeling that a lot of recent graduates face or faced, including myself.

At first, I struggled to create the same amount of happiness that I was experiencing in college. I knew I had to change what I was doing. Here are the 4 small tweaks I made that completely changed my daily mood and overall happiness in life:

I Introduced Familiarity in My Life

When you first move to a new city or area, a lot of things feel different because your schedule changes. But that doesn't mean you have to get rid of the activities and happy reminders that you have always enjoyed your entire life. Keeping pictures of family, friends, and great memories around your house or apartment give you a daily reminder of the great people you have in your life. Budget time in your day and week for the enjoyable activities you did in your old living situation. For me, it was working out and playing basketball, reading, and cooking. I set aside time to FaceTime or call my friends and family. Keeping these things consistent made me feel like I wasn't missing out on anything from my "old life."

I Took Care of My Body and Mind

The start of your career can take a lot out of you mentally. When you get home, you want to relax and not worry about exerting any more energy than you already have for the day. While it is good to recharge and relax, too much of this can gradually drag you away from physical exercise. Make it a point to budget 30 minutes of physical activity in your day. Whether that's a walk outside, taking a run, playing a sport, or joining a gym. Studies show that daily physical exercise decreases your chance for depression. I also made sure to allow 15-30 minutes per day of some type of mental stimulation. For me, this meant reading a book, article, or magazine, completing a puzzle or mental exercise, or meditation. Even an intelligent conversation with another person can qualify for mental stimulation.

I Wrote in My "Gratitude Journal" Every Morning

When you first move to a new location and start to feel down, it's easy to quickly focus on what you don't have in your life anymore. Instead, reflect on the positive things that you have and get to experience everyday. Writing these things down in the morning makes it even more real, and you suddenly are in a better mood to start out each day. For me, I was always writing about my friends and family, my God-given gifts, the roof over my head, food, clean water… simple things that I know a lot of people on this earth actually don't have.

Join an Extracurricular Group at Work or In Your Community

There are extracurricular activities everywhere you look… just keep your eyes open! There is likely a young professionals group at your company or in your city. These are set up recent graduates like yourself together and participate in fun activities in the community. Also be on the lookout for company or department emails with opportunities for networking. These are never a bad idea to attend because you don't necessarily need to talk with everybody there. If you can get one meaningful conversation out of a work-related event, that is a success. Other opportunities include intramural signups, fantasy sports signups, or holiday parties.