In a recent survey, six out of ten people said that moving was the most stressful life event. Yes, even above planning a wedding or getting a divorce.
Moving or relocating is an inevitable part of life. You cannot stay in your parent’s basement forever, nor would you want to. Building the perfect home by yourself or with your own family brings so much joy and opportunity but the stress of moving seems unavoidable.
But there are ways to decrease moving stress and moving anxiety. Here are some top tips to help you navigate this season of your life.
1. Accept That Moving Is Stressful
Sometimes, big life events like moving can become less stressful when you stop trying to pretend they aren’t. There is so much out of your control, so many things that can go wrong, and it takes a lot of time and money. It would be weirder if moving didn’t stress you out.
Instead, the best thing you can do is to look after your physical and mental wellbeing to cope with the stress of moving.
Make sure you get at least seven hours of sleep a night and drink plenty of water. It can be tempting to eat take-out and junk food while dealing with relocating stress. But healthy home-cooked meals will make you feel so much better.
Take lots of breaks to exercise, walk outside, and/or do things you enjoy. Moving seems a lot more manageable when it is not the center of your universe.
2. Get Organized With Your Paperwork
If you want stress-free moving, you need to get organized. Not only with your packing, but with the paperwork too.
Keep your contracts, new leases, and any other physical documents you need in one folder. Label it “moving documents.” If you prefer to keep everything on your computer, do the same with a folder on your desktop.
Organizing all your moving-related emails into a folder in your inbox might be useful, too. Keep an eye on any mail you get in the months before you move and change your address with every company that sends you anything.
For those who are moving in-state or out of state, update your new details with the DMV, your insurance providers, and banks. This will cause you far fewer headaches later on.
And for those who are moving overseas, make sure you start the visa process ASAP.
3. Start Packing Early and Start Small
Do you know what “the snowball effect” is? It is a process where you start with tasks of little significance (or the easiest) and build up to the larger or more difficult ones. The larger tasks seem more manageable because you have fewer and you feel more equipped to tackle them.
This is how you should approach moving.
Start packing early with the items you do not use daily. Christmas ornaments or books might be a good place to start. Whatever you do, don’t start with difficult items like clothes, toiletries, or toys.
This early momentum should relieve some of the anxiety of moving and give you the self-confidence you need to complete the job.
4. Cull at Least Half of Your Clutter
Yes, at least half. There are 300,000 items in the average American household and the vast majority of these items go unused every year. You can make a radical reduction in the stress of moving by owning fewer items.
There are plenty of ways to do this in a way that is manageable and even fun.
30 Day Minimizing Game
Start by playing the 30 Day minimizing game as coined by The Minimalists and the whole family can take part. On day one, get rid of one item. On day two, get rid of two items, on day three, get rid of three, and so on for the next 30 days.
By the end of the 30 days, everyone will have gotten rid of 465 items and you will have the momentum you need to continue.
Ask Yourself Hard Questions
When packing up your belongings, you will face every single item you own. As you do this, try asking yourself the following questions:
- If I lost this item while moving, would I replace it?
- Have I used this item in the last 3/6/12 months?
- Does this item add value to my life?
- Is this item useful and does it fit me right now? (if it’s clothing)
If the answer is no to any of these questions, remove it from your life.
Also, differentiate between keeping items “just for when” and “just in case.” The former refers to buying bulk toilet paper, lightbulbs, or any item you know you will need at some point. The latter refers to items like chainsaws, spare USB cables, or any item you do not know when you will next use.
Remove all “just in case” items from your life and it will be much easier to pack up your household to move.
5. Ask for Help When You Need It
Rome was not built in a day, and there is no need for you to deal with the stress of moving by yourself. You do not win a medal for handling it alone. Plus, you likely have lots of people in your life who are happy to help.
If culling the clutter in your wardrobe is difficult, invite a friend round to give you honest advice about your clothing.
And if you have a lot of heavy items you need to box up and move, host a packing party. Yes, a literal packing party. Buy lots of pizza and beer, throw on some tunes, and ask your friends to help you move boxes.
Nine pairs of hands are far better than one.
Asking your friends and family for help will also help you feel less isolated and anxious about the upcoming life change.
6. Hire Professional Movers
Remember when you went off to college and everything you owned fit inside your beat-up car that used to belong to your mom? You didn’t need to hire professional movers then, but you likely do now.
Residential movers take so much stress and effort out of moving. Many companies can provide you with strong boxes and packaging so you can pack your things without being afraid that they will break. Plus, many also take back the packaging to reuse or dispose of in an environmental way.
Movers will be responsible for carrying your heavy furniture and boxes so you won’t hurt yourself, too. They will transport and unload your items with insurance which is something your car insurance likely will not cover.
Choose a company with great reviews and a good reputation and the stress of moving will melt away.
7. Save for Unexpected Moving Costs
Moving might be one of the most stressful events of someone’s life, but money is one of the biggest everyday stresses. No matter what, you can never seem to have enough.
Moving is expensive whether you are renting or buying. Renters need to pay administrative fees, deposits, and a couple of months’ rent upfront. And house buyers need to pay a hefty deposit, lawyer, and real estate fees on top of so many other things.
That doesn’t even touch on the costs of renovating and decorating your new place, and there are always some costs you forget about.
Take care of your future self and pocket some extra cash to cover those surprise extra expenses. Even if it’s only $1,000. No one ever regretted saving money.
8. Leave Time to Say Goodbye
Moving house is a form of grief and you need to mourn that loss. You are leaving a home that you likely have a sentimental attachment to and lots of fond memories. Leaving without looking back might lead to more stress and upset later on.
Throw a going-away party if you are leaving the area and have friends and family close by. Take photographs of your house before you start packing so you can remember it as it was when you lived there.
If it does not seem silly, you could also thank the house for all the happy memories before you go.
9. Visualize the End Result
When you are in the trenches of moving and doing the day-to-day grunt work, you might forget what all the stress is for. But it is so important that you remember why you are putting yourself through this stress.
You are doing it so you can move to a better home, in a better location, that offers opportunity/space/something that your current home does not.
Stick a picture of your new house on your fridge so you can see it every day. Visualize what your daily life will look like in your new house and all the things you can do there that you cannot do right now.
This visualization technique will help keep you motivated during the most stressful times.
Combat the Stress of Moving With These Tips
You might not be able to completely remove the stress of moving, but you can make it better. With these tips, you will be able to get through the painful moving process without losing your sanity. And who knows, you may find the experience liberating and start to enjoy it, too.
