5 Tips to Reduce the Stress of Moving House

 

If you’re moving house, and the stress starts to build, it can feel as though you’re suffocating. The big problem with moving is that before you actually have to go through the physical process of packing up and moving, you’ve already had to go through searching for a home and you’re probably still going through some of the final legalities, before you get the keys. A lot of what happens is out of your control, which adds to the stress. We have a couple of points to share with you that should help a little. The first is that you do have a lot of control over the moving process itself and we’re going to give you some tips to make it as stress averse as possible. The second is that, despite what you might think, moving isn’t one of life’s major stressful periods. It doesn’t actually feature on any of the researched lists, as Claudia Hammond discussed in her piece on the BBC website in 2014. Believing all the hype about moving being the second most stressful life event, after losing a loved one, just makes you feel worse. Take a look at our tips for keeping stress to the minimum and you never know, you may actually enjoy moving home.  

Don’t Put Anything Off

No matter whether you’re ridiculously excited, or filled with trepidation, you should never put off preparing for the move. Your houseful of furniture is not going to miraculously vanish from your current home and re-appear in your new one, and people aren’t just going to instinctively know you’re moving. Here are a few of the things that need to be done before you move.

• Inform official people of your move, including utilities companies and the doctor. You may find this checklist useful. It will help to stop you worrying in case you missed anyone.
• Tell everyone else. Not as vital but your friends aren’t going to be happy if they turn up at your old address and you’re no longer there. This can be done after you move but if you can do it before it means you can concentrate on settling in at your new home.
• Redirect your mail.
• Declutter so you only take what you need.
• Pack everything securely and efficiently.

There’s a lot to do, which is why you should make a start as soon as you can. Doing everything in smaller chunks of time each day is far easier and less stressful than spending every hour of the last few days running around in a panic.  

Give Yourself Time

You need to be realistic about how much time you’re going to have to invest in the moving process. For this relatively short period of your life you need to give priority to the move. If you think you are going to feel frazzled working and carrying on with other activities then ask for some space. It may be a good idea to book some leave from work. Don’t feel obliged to keep up regular social engagements. If you want to go for that meal out to relax for a while that’s fine. If you feel obliged but would rather be working on the move then just explain that you’ll make it another time.

Make Use Of Delegation

You’ve probably heard of the word delegation used in a business environment. Emma Isaacs recently looked at the skill in an article for the Huffington Post. Although she spoke about delegating in your job, the points she made could equally apply to your move. Many people don’t delegate because they don’t feel as though anyone can complete the task as well as them. Trust us, this isn’t the case. Who gave you an award as a moving expert? As long as you tell volunteers what you want them to do everything will be fine; and don’t spend all your time looking over their shoulder. This makes the delegation pointless. Just relax and get on with what you’re doing.  

Make Sure Your Valuables Are Safe

The last thing you want to be worrying about is the safety of valuable items. Make sure that you have sturdy boxes and sufficient packing materials, such as packing peanuts, dividers and air cushions. You also need to make sure that any boxes containing valuable or fragile items are labelled accordingly. If you are worried about getting the packing right then you can always ask your removal firm if they will do it for you. If you prefer to take certain valuables with you in the car, then do it. The main thing is to make transporting your valuable items safe, with as little stress as possible for you.  

Treat Yourself

This is probably our favourite tip for reducing the stress of moving. As we’ve said you shouldn’t put any of the moving work off, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have some treats along the way. Tell yourself that when all the change of address notifications are done you’ll go for that run you’ve been looking forward to. After you’ve spent a morning getting rid of things you don’t want, spend an hour having lunch with a friend. Hopefully you’ll remember that moving isn’t one of life’s top stressors, even though it may feel like it. Our tips should help keep your stress levels down. Keep organised, keep a balance between the move and down time and take a deep breath. You’ll be settled in your new home in no time.