They say that moving home is one of the most stressful things we can put ourselves through, more stressful, even, than divorce. If you’ve never been through the process before, then that will sound a little ridiculous — but if it’s something you’ve done before, then you’ll know! It can be pretty intense, and there are times when you wonder why you decided to go through the ordeal at all. But here’s the thing: like most things in life, it’s only stressful if we let it affect us in such a way. It all depends on how we look at the situation, and the steps we take to keep the stressful aspects to a minimum. Below, we take a look at nine such ways.
Start Early
We can all recall the stressful feeling of trying to get everything done so we can rush out of the door, and catch the bus or train to work. Now imagine that you’re rushing, but not so that you can catch your public transport, but so you can go to your new home, and the people who bought your house can move into your (now) old place. Oh, and you have all your belongings in a van. Yeah, that’s stress! While there’ll be getting around the fact that you have a lot of things to do, if you give yourself enough time to get them done, then you’ll be reducing the chances of that last minute rush.
Time off Work
You can’t do all the things, all the time. In the run-up to moving home, it’s advisable that you take the whole week off work. There’s going to be plenty of small tasks that need to be completed. Nothing complicated, but when you group them all together, they can be pretty time-consuming. They shouldn’t have too much of an effect on your stress levels if you have all day, rather than just those few post-work hours, to complete them. You’ll want to be off work for the first couple of days in your new home, so you can get everything arranged and sorted.
Move Less Stuff
What is the stressful aspect of moving properties? Saying goodbye to your current home, preparing for the change, yup, they’re stressful. But really, the thing that affects us most is nearly always…the stuff that we have to move. You don’t realise how much stuff you have until you have to pack it up and move it elsewhere. But with this, there’s an obvious solution — move less stuff. Before you get deep into the packing side of things, it’s much better to check that what you’re taking to your new home is actually worth taking. If it’s not, you should throw it away! To make this more straightforward, look at booking a skip bin hire, and decluttering your entire property. You might be surprised at just how much junk you’ve accumulated over the years. Every item you throw away will be one less item you need to pack up and move!
Work with Professionals
Still, even if you were somehow able to throw away half the items in your home, you’re still going to have a lot to move. And because you’ve not experienced in transporting goods from one place to another, you’re not going to do it well. You’ll be inefficient, and it’ll give you headaches. As such, it’s a good idea to look at working with professionals, who can move your goods for you. You’ll find that moving is less stressful, when you don’t have to deal with the most stressful aspects of moving….
Distract the Kids
Ah, your kids. You love them, they’re going to love the new house, indeed, part of why you’re moving is for their benefit. But let’s also be realistic: when you’re trying to get stuff done, they’re more annoying than lovable. When it comes to moving day, you’ll find that everything runs a lot smoother if the kids aren’t running around, getting in the way, and bothering you with questions. Look at sending them to spend time with their grandparents, if only for a few hours.
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Prepare the Essentials
It’s going to be all hands on deck when it comes to moving day. You won’t have time to sit down, or prepare meals, or any of the other demands of daily life. So make sure you’re preparing for these things beforehand. Have a plan for your food — it could be making food the night before, and just eating it cold during the day, or you could get takeout food (more fun!). Since you won’t have the chance to rest during the day, make sure you’re getting your share of rest and sleep in the days beforehand. You want to have plenty of energy reserves to call upon — the more tired you become, the more prone you’ll be to stress.
Rope in Friends
If you’re thinking about moving sometime in the future, you’ll want to begin helping any friends with their move in the meantime. When it comes to your move, you’ll be able to call upon them! It’s good to have friends around, for various reason. First, it makes lighter work for everyone. Second, your friends are fun! Is there a more enjoyable way to beat the stress than by having a friend crack a joke? Plus, no-one wants to have a meltdown in front of friends….
Go with the Flow
If you want to do anything important, you need to accept that it’s not always going to go your way. Mistakes will be made, by you and other people. Even if you limit the risk of stressful things happening, they’re going to happen! The best approach, therefore, is to shift your attitude, so that these stressful moments don’t have too much of a negative impact on you. You need to learn how to go with the flow! Even when things aren’t going as planned, keep in mind that it’ll all resolve itself eventually. You’ll be moved in sooner or later!
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