Moving to a new home is always considered one of life’s most stressful experiences. This comes as no surprise at all, given the tedium of packing, arranging, and adjusting to an unfamiliar environment. You could be moving for a better job, a living condition, or just for a change of scenery. But in any case, residential moving always involves complexities that make you feel pressured. But why does moving have to be so taxing, and what can you do to make it more comfortable? Let’s break it down.
For many of us, a home is more than just a physical space—there are memories, comfort, and familiarity. Whether it is a childhood home where you have grown up, the marriage home, or the residence where you have spent the majority of your life so far, moving away usually implies leaving behind something meaningful and emotional. That emotional association will make it difficult for you to let go of the old space and begin accepting the uncertainty of a new space.
But it’s more than just putting some stuff in boxes and then taking those boxes to the new place; it’s really about coordinating a host of logistics. There’s the matter of finding a moving company or recruiting friends and family, scheduling utilities, updating your address, managing the paperwork, and just so many small but necessary details. The sheer volume of tasks can quickly overwhelm a person, especially if the individual has other responsibilities to attend to, such as work, family, or school.
Let’s be honest: moving is work. You have to take everything from your old house to your new one, carry a bunch of boxes, pull apart the furniture, and do it all again in your new place. Whether or not you hire professionals to help, the physical demands of moving can leave you utterly drained and sore. For parents with children or households with pets, the logistics add even more stress.
Even if the move is positive—for example, upgrading to a larger home or for the advancement of your career—it can be an unsettling process. Humans are creatures of habit and have to force a break in their habits to adjust to a new situation. Now you find yourself in a strange new world, trying to get accustomed to new neighbors, new stores, new commutes, and sometimes even new weather conditions. This feeling of uncertainty and dread of the unknown is the most natural stress trigger.
A lot of moving incurs indirect and not necessarily planned-for costs, whether hiring a mover to make packing supplies or covering a number of repair work done, as well as the extensive cleaning needed before, during, and after moving. Other factors would come into play, such as a new mortgage, finding rent, and living elsewhere, which cost that long. Such economic pressures only exacerbate how stressful the experience could feel.
Time constraints are another stressor. Most moves are tied to tight deadlines. It may be a job start date, lease termination, or the sale of your old home. The feeling that you are running out of time for all these tasks creates urgency and frustration. In addition to the above, there is also an issue of time management about how to pack, work, and manage family life that may leave you frustrated and exhausted.
Moving is surely stressful, but there are actually strategies you can take to make the moving process less stressful and less anxiety-provoking. Here are three things you can do to make it less arduous:
The greatest stressor during moving is when one feels inadequate or does everything at the eleventh hour. Starting in advance helps to avoid any anxiety. Once you know for sure that you are moving, make a timeline and keep a checklist of your progress. For instance:
This would avoid the stressful last-minute crunch and allow you to tackle things one at a time, thus making the whole process much more manageable the earlier you begin.
Among the most laborious tasks that one undergoes when moving is packing and organizing. To avoid this stress, make sure you are well-organized and strategic about your packing. Some of the tips to keep one organized include:
By planning the labeling and packing system, you have saved time and avoided some of the frustration often associated with a non-systematic move.
During this time, one forgets to take care of him or herself while making multiple decisions and coordinating all aspects of the move. So, the only way of dealing with stress related to moving is by taking care of yourself. Here are some self-care tips that could be helpful in the future for you:
Remember, this is a major life event, and it’s completely normal to feel stressed. Taking good care of oneself physically, mentally, and emotionally helps prepare one better for all the challenges during the moving process.
One of the most stressful moments of your life, though, is the period that you move, unless, of course, you get to understand why and adopt some of the planning and staying organized measures that make it much more meaningful as a part of a plan, a practice of self-care towards maintaining well-being during these stress times, and a fresh home with new spaces and an excellent time will get itself making a comfortable, loved place to call one’s own.