Moving house is considered one of the most stressful events we go through in life. This is because you’re literally uprooting your life to start over in a new home. If you’re moving to another city, it can mean not seeing family and friends as often. With the growing awareness of the importance of mental health, we’ve put together this guide to help you cope better with moving house stress.
1. Change your perspective about moving
If you develop a positive mindset about moving, rather than seeing it as a stressful experience, you’ll feel a lot happier during the process. Self-help guides are always advising us to declutter our lives and to make our environments better suited for our individual needs. Moving house is one of the best ways to get this fresh start. If you approach it as an opportunity to refresh and reset, you’ll find it becomes a more positive experience.
2. If you’re moving long distance, research your new town
Don’t wait until you get to your new town to find out what it has to offer. Get online and do your research. Make a list of places you want to visit. Find cafes and restaurants where you’d like to get a meal. Look for the shops which sell the things you like. And of course, look after your body by finding out how you’re going to get your exercise. If you’re prepared, you’ll immediately feel more familiar with your new town.
3. Start organising your move well ahead of time
Leaving a move to the last minute is a recipe for stress. Being organised well ahead of time will mitigate that stress. Book your movers as soon as you know your moving date. Organise your belongings and start packing as soon as you can. Better still, get your moving company to do the packing. We’re armed with packing materials that keep your possessions safe and you’ll be able to get moving insurance. That all adds up to better peace of mind on moving day.
4. Bottling up emotions always makes it worse
Even the most stoic person will feel emotional about moving. It throws up such a mixed bag of emotions in people. You’ll feel excited, sad, apprehensive about the unknown and all manner of other emotions. You can reduce the weight of these emotions by allowing yourself to feel them. The best way to let them out is to ask for support. You’ll feel stronger and better for it.
5. Beginnings and endings
Making sure you get closure with the people you’re not going to see as often, or perhaps ever again, is very important. Make time to say your farewells and to talk about opportunities to see one another again in the future. On the other side of the move, make time to meet and greet your new neighbours and to get out and meet like-minded people so you can start to make new friends. If you do this straight away, you’ll settle in sooner.
6. Unpack
The most stressful aspect of moving is the disruption to your normal routine. Unpack your boxes and settle in straight away. Don’t leave boxes unpacked. Getting rid of your boxes and arranging your furniture will help everyone to feel grounded again.
And of course, choosing a good moving company to help you move helps a lot with the stress too. Our goal is to make your move as stress free as possible, so if you need help moving, give us a call.
