Getting a library card in a new city is the moment it starts to feel like you live there.

Belonging somewhere gets built out of small administrative acts rather than out of feelings. A card with your name and this address on it says you are not a visitor, and your brain accepts that evidence more readily than any amount of telling yourself you live here now. Routine beats sentiment for making a place yours.

If you have moved recently, do one of those small enrolling things this week: the library, a regular shop, the same cafe, a team. Repeat it until the people there recognise you. The feeling usually follows the habit rather than leading it.