Let’s face it, moving can be one of the most stressful events in your life, especially if you’re on a tight budget.
While it typically is associated with betterment, the process of packing your belongings, preparing your previous place to be vacated, and doing everything that moving to a new home requires can drain even the most resilient person.
Furthermore, with the circled date on the calendar getting close, you start feeling the pressure. Many people can start having panic attacks and general anxiety when preparing to leave their old place and start anew.
Today we will talk more about these negative associations and, more accurately, how to avoid them.
Why do we stress out when moving places?
Moving places can be a stressful experience due to a variety of reasons.
Firstly, it involves a significant change in your routine and environment, which can be unsettling for some people. Whether changing cities or moving down the street, leaving familiar places and people behind can be daunting.
Additionally, the entire process itself can be overwhelming. Packing up all of your belongings, coordinating with movers or friends helping you move, and dealing with the logistics of moving day can cause stress and anxiety.
Finally, the emotional toll of leaving behind friends, family members, and familiar places can also contribute to stress and anxiety. Saying goodbye to loved ones and adapting to a new social environment can be difficult, even if you’re excited about the move.
How keeping everything organised will help you
Staying organised is the best thing you can do to reduce your overall stress during moving.
So, having a sense of control and predictability by keeping everything in order is the way to go. Start by creating a packing plan that outlines what needs to be packed and when. This plan can help you prioritise tasks and ensure nothing will be forgotten.
Moreover, organising your daily schedule will help you reduce stress, giving you enough time and perspective to deal with unexpected issues as they arise. Ultimately, organising will allow you to prepare better for the moving day without any last-minute rushes and drama.
Start slowly packing your belongings
Packing, without a doubt, is the most stressful part of the entire process. It can be time-consuming and often can bring you to tears.
Trying to pack in a single day is not only extremely bad for your mental health but is practically impossible. You can’t get together your entire life in several hours. So, give yourself an adequate amount of time to do that.
More importantly, you need the time to arrange your belongings to make them easier to unpack. Finally, let’s not forget that moving your items to your new place is not the end of the move. Settling in and unpacking everything is.
Begin with the items you don’t use every day, such as seasonal clothing or decor. Then, proceed with the items you use daily, such as kitchen utensils or toiletries.
This approach can help you avoid last-minute stress and ensure everything is packed safely and securely.
Ensure you use proper packing materials
Using suitable packing materials is important to ensure your items arrive safely and in good condition at your new home. By selecting appropriate boxes, packing materials, and tape, you can help minimise the risk of damage during the move.
Additionally, labeling boxes clearly and using moving blankets can help further protect your items and make the unpacking process easier. Using the right packaging materials will give you more than a secure way to transport your items.
In addition, it will bring you some peace of mind. Knowing your things are adequately packed and protected will make you feel more confident that they will arrive at your new home safely. This can help reduce anxiety and worry about damage or loss.
Do not forget to label all your packs
Labeling your boxes is an essential step in the packing process. It helps you track what’s in each box, making it easier to unpack at your new home. Use a permanent marker to write a brief description of the contents of each box.
Also, colour-coding your boxes by room can make unpacking even more organised and efficient.
For example, if you put everything you will unpack in your kitchen in a blue box, you can easily take all the blue boxes to the kitchen without reading what’s on the label. Moreover, you don’t need to have your entire box blue. All you need is a blue sticker that’s visible from all sides.
List all that needs to be packed and done before moving
Creating a checklist will help you stay organised and reduce stress. Include tasks such as forwarding your mail, canceling or transferring utilities, and notifying your bank and other service providers of your new address.
Also, don’t forget to list having a healthy breakfast on the day you move to reduce anxiety.
This list can help you avoid forgetting anything important and ensure you’re prepared for the move. Making this list will reduce the stress of forgetting something.
If it’s on the list, you won’t forget it. This will give you some much-needed sleep during the night instead of twisting and turning in your bed, thinking you will forget something important.
Minimise the items that need to be packed and moved
To reduce anxiety significantly, you can try a few stress management techniques or simply decrease the number of items you need to pack. That’s great advice, even if you are not moving out, but especially when surrounded by useless junk.
So, it’s a great time to start minimising before moving so you won’t need to find extra space in your new home for unneeded items.
Here’s how:
Declutter
Decluttering your home will have a massive positive effect on your mental health. The feeling is liberating, and while you will fill some guilt at first, once you start, you will find joy in everything you throw away after you’ve deemed it useless.
Sort out the things (and create a list if you have to) that you want to keep, donate, sell, or throw away. One great rule is to have a timeframe of when you last used this item.
For example, if you haven’t used an item in the past two years, it’s going to the “throw-away” pile. This goes double for clothes that are probably long out of style.
The obvious exception to this rule are items with sentimental value, family heirlooms, and other precious belongings.
Donate or gift
You can consider donating or gifting everything you decide to get rid of. Naturally, the items must be in good condition. Charities, shelters, and community centers often seek clothing, furniture, and other household items donations.
Your friends or family might also want some of your unwanted items, so be sure to ask them before moving.
Recycle
Recycling is the eco option for getting rid of unwanted items. Plenty of cities provide curbside recycling programs that can handle a variety of materials, including paper, plastic, and glass.
Your local recycling centre has rules about what items they accept and how to dispose of them properly, so be sure to check them first.
Ask for help with the packing process.
We know that packing your belongings can be overwhelming, and we don’t see it as a sign of weakness if you seek help.
On the contrary, many packing service providers will gladly help you pack and move your belongings. To reduce the stress and anxiety from moving homes effectively, simply delegate your choices to professionals with the knowledge and know-how to make the entire process smooth and problem free.
Be sure to research alternatives, choose a reliable and well-regarded moving company, and take care of the more critical issues, like contacting banks, saying goodbye to your friends and family, and enjoying your new life in your new home.