5 Things You Can Do To Make Moving Less Stressful
We all know that moving can be stressful. There are a lot of things to do and it always feels like you might be forgetting something. Also, changing your home implies a lot of emotional strain as well.
So here we will tell you 5 things you can do to make moving less stressful. We will also explore why moving is so stressful in the first place.
The emotional stress of moving
Moving is stressful for many people. The stress of a move is so notorious that you can find investigations and articles such as divorce? That’s not as stressful as moving home.
But why is moving so stressful? The emotional stress of moving is notorious because changing home is a complex experience. It involves a lot of little details (changing the address for every subscription or payment you have, for example). And it also involves a lot of emotional effort. A move means letting go of the home you once knew and embarking on an adventure: new neighbours, new places, and new routines.
Basically, you have a lot of little “to-dos” on your mind while also coping with the emotional stress of changing that place you call home and having to learn a lot of new things for your day-to-day activities.
How to make moving less stressful
You can find a lot of articles on the internet that try to teach you “how to make your move stress-free”. However, we don’t agree with that. Moving implies a bit of stress because it is an important decision. There are also many things you have to do and make sure you complete correctly. Not to mention that, like almost everything, it implies change and some uncertainties.
That is why we are believers of making moving less stressful. An important part of achieving that is knowing that, rationally, moving is a stressful event. Many things demand your attention and it can overwhelm you at times!
However, rest assured that it is completely possible to make the experience less stressful.
5 practical, handy tips to make moving less stressful
1. Accept that stress is a normal part of the moving process
The first step to overcoming moving stress is acceptance. If you acknowledge that you are probably going to incur some stress over the course of your move, you’re less likely to let it set you back when it happens. You will be prepared for it.
Think about it like this: stress is a natural human response to a demanding circumstance. However, you have a say in how you react to that stress. You can take it as something negative and have a bad time. Or you can work your way through it and accomplish great things.
Our best advice is to take the stress for what it is and acknowledge the feeling. That way, you can actually work with it instead of being controlled by it. The most important thing is to recognize the stress without letting it deter you from the tasks at hand.
2. Stay organized!
Something that will help you a lot before, during, and after your move is to be organized every step of the way! For this, a list will be a very good ally.
There are a lot of things you have to do before, during, and after a move. Keeping all of this only in your head could lead to extra stress and to forgetting some details. So to reduce stress and minimize forgetfulness, writing everything down will definitely make a big difference!
There are many resources on the internet that can help you. You can check out packing checklists or moving checklists to get some inspiration.
3. Honor the journey, all of it
Moving is also a heavily emotional process. Apart from all the things you have to do, moving means a lot of change will come to your life. You leave things behind and you meet new people. This can generate both stress and excitement. So, honor that process and live the journey fully.
Things that can help ease your stress are to research about your new town, neighbourhood or city. Don’t focus only on what you are leaving behind and how that makes you sad. You can also look forward to all the new, cool things awaiting you!
4. Try to keep a positive mindset
Keeping a positive mindset makes a big difference in every aspect of your life, not just moving! Science has shown that positive thinking helps with stress management and can even improve your health.
So while you face the stress generated by your upcoming move, remember to see it in a positive light. Embrace it, accept it, be patient with yourself. And try to see the bright side of things. This will definitely make a difference for the better.
It is also very important to look for support in friends and family instead of dealing with everything by yourself. Speaking with others will help you keep your feet grounded and not get carried away by the stress.
5. Reduce clutter as much as possible
Clutter is stressful. So to reduce the visual stress created by clutter, try to minimize the junk that’s occupying extra space in your home. You will feel more relieved almost immediately. You can clear the clutter using the Marie Kondo method or simply by organizing things into three piles: sell, donate, and throw away.
This will also help you a lot with moving, because you will have less things to worry about. You can even look at moving as an opportunity to declutter. Remember how we talked about trying to keep a positive mindset? Well, how you approach organizing and decluttering can make a big difference.
Oh, and another pro tip? Unpack in your new location as soon as you can. This will help you avoid things piling up.
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Author: Sabrina Ristorto
