Millennial Restlessness: I Think I Have It

Millennial restlessness is a real thing and I think I have it. For those who don’t know, millennials have become known for packing up their lives and moving to new cities constantly. Like, way more than previous generations. Five years ago to the day (yes, it’s my Toronto-versary) I packed up my entire life and made the move across Canada. Why? Well, that’s the thing. I didn’t have any friends here, or a job lined up or even a permanent place to live. So, why did I make the move?!

After Five Years in The Six, I’ve Fallen Victim to Millennial Restlessness

Millennial Restlessness — 5 Years in Toronto | The Lady-like Leopard

For starters, I grew up on an island—Victoria, B.C. born & raised baby! Although, inside I always felt like a big city girl. Unfortunately Vancouver Island just couldn’t offer me the type of life that I wanted to live: glamorous, bustling & sky-scraping. Truth be told, it was always my dream to live in Manhattan but I couldn’t be bothered at the time to deal with Visas and all that; Toronto was the second runner-up. So, I bought a one-way ticket and off I went.

The night before I moved, I sat in my bed and cried and cried and cried. I was scared to death! Was I making the right move? Would I be able to make new friends? Could I find a decent job? Where would I live? In the end, I pushed all those feelings aside, zipped up three suitcases containing my entire life and hopped on the plane. Yes, I was nervous, but I wasn’t about to let that fear ruin what I hoped would be a fabulous, life-changing decision.

However, now that I’ve been here for exactly 5 years, I’m starting to get that millennial restlessness feeling again.

I recently read an article that stated that 41% of millennials move to a new city with zero intention of staying there permanently. When I first moved to Toronto, I think I had every intention of staying here forever. I fell madly in love with the city. It was so different from Victoria that I was constantly walking around with a feeling of awe. The buildings were so tall and oh my god, transit ran past 10pm! Five years later, however, I’m itching to find awe-inspiring experiences somewhere else.

Sometimes millennial restlessness scares me. I want to settle down in one city. I want to have a place to call home. When the time comes to raise a family, I want to stay in one place. After all, I can still travel to new places when I get the urge. That’s how our parents and grandparents did it, right? Occasionally I regret making such a big move—but only when it comes to my family. I miss them so much. With half of my family in Victoria and the other half in Sydney, I question why I chose to live away from both. But living here has been great in so many other ways.

So, will I end up somewhere else? My boyfriend has been talking about living in Los Angeles and even though I feel distinctly New York, I think I could handle that. We’ll have to wait and see!