How to Manage Moving Stress
Moving house is universally acknowledged as one of life’s most stressful experiences. Amidst the boxes, the packing tape, and the logistical jigsaw, it’s easy to forget about our mental well-being.
In this blog post, we’ll explore effective strategies to manage and alleviate the stress often associated with a house move.
For other helpful tips and information on home moves be sure to check out our blog featuring helpful articles, moving home checklists and more.
Understanding Moving Stress
Before diving into coping strategies, it’s important to understand what makes moving house so taxing. Although moving home is exciting and something to look forward to moving disrupts our routine, our sense of place, and often our social ties. It’s not just the physical act of moving items from A to B, but the emotional upheaval that can trigger anxiety and stress.
Common Sources of House Move Stress:
- Emotional attachment: Leaving behind a home filled with memories can be emotionally draining. Often this can also be hard on children, especially when you’re moving from the only home they’ve known. for more on this see our family relocation article.
- The unknown: Moving to a new area might involve uncertainty that can be nerve-wracking.
- Disruption: The sheer disruption to daily life, routines, and comfort zones.
- Time pressure: Deadlines to vacate your current home and settle into a new one can be daunting. Especially when you have a list as long as your arm to work through.
- Physical strain: The physical effort required in packing, organising, and moving items.
- Financial costs: The expenses involved in moving can also be a significant source of stress – it’s important to budget for your next house move.
Alleviating Moving Stress
- Start Early
One of the best ways to reduce stress is to avoid a last-minute rush. Start your packing and preparations as early as possible. Breaking the process into manageable tasks spread over weeks or even months can significantly lessen the pressure. Talking about moving early can also help stress and anxiety levels for children, if they have a long time to get used to the idea when the big day comes it should be easier.
- Create a Moving Checklist
Organisation is key in managing moving stress. Create a comprehensive checklist that includes everything from utility transfers and address changes to packing and cleaning schedules. This checklist will help you keep track of your progress and ensure that nothing is overlooked.
If you haven’t got time to create a checklist you can use ours: Moving house checklist and change of address checklist.
- Declutter
Moving house is a great opportunity to declutter. Sort your belongings and decide what to keep, sell, donate, or throw away. Reducing the volume of items, you need to pack and transport can relieve a lot of stress. This is a great time to give unwanted items to charity or sell them for some extra cash.
- Seek Support
Don’t try to do everything alone. Enlist the help of family and friends for packing and moving. If budget allows, consider hiring professional movers who can handle the heavy lifting and logistics for you. See our home packing service for details.
- Take Care of Yourself
During packing and planning, don’t neglect your health. Maintain regular meals, get plenty of sleep, and engage in physical activity. All these helps reduce stress levels and keep your energy up!
- Keep Communication Open
If you’re moving with a partner or family, keep communication lines open. Discuss feelings about the move and support each other through the transition. Being able to express your concerns and stresses openly can mitigate the emotional burden.
- Familiarise Yourself with the New Area
If possible, visit your new area before the move. Knowing where the local amenities, such as supermarkets, hospitals, petrol stations and parks for your pets can make the transition smoother and less stressful.
- Maintain Routines
Try to keep some routines intact amidst the chaos. Whether it’s a weekly movie night or a morning jog, keeping parts of your normal routine can help preserve a sense of normality and stability. Again, this tip can be especially helpful for children and pets.
- Allow Yourself to Feel
It’s normal to feel a range of emotions during a move. Allow yourself time to process these feelings. Acknowledge the sadness of leaving a place you called home, but also embrace the excitement of starting a new chapter.
Controlling Stress Throughout the Home Move
Implement stress-relief techniques such as deep breathing exercises, meditation, or yoga. These practices can be particularly useful during moments of high stress, helping you to remain calm and focused.
The Reliable Difference
Although moving house can be a daunting task fraught with potential stress, approaching the process with a structured plan and a calm mindset can make a significant difference and stop you from making house removal mistakes. By acknowledging and preparing for the challenges, seeking support, and taking care of your mental health, you can transform a potentially stressful house move into an exciting transition to your new home. Remember, it’s not just about moving your belongings, but moving forward in life.
If you want some extra help on moving day to relieve some of the house move stress then contact our expert team of movers today. We offer a range of services that keep moving day stress at an all-time low including home packing services, storage services, large volume moves, long distance moves and more! Give us a call and we’ll be happy to help!
