6 Tips to Reduce the Stress of Moving

If you’ve recently closed on your dream home, found the perfect apartment, or accepted a new job offer in another city; Congratulations! While it may be a very exciting venture, everyone faces the same frustration: Packing up all of their belongings and hauling them to your new home. Undeniably, moving is a major challenge. It involves a significant amount of planning, worrying, and may even have your rethinking your entire relocation by the end of it all.

Fortunately, there are ways you can survive the moving process and also make the transition smooth, seamless, and stress-free. By following just a few tips you’ll be able to turn your move into an experience, rather than a burden. Continue reading for our six tips for managing your stress before, during, and even after you’ve boxed up your entire life and settled into your new home.

1. Accept

When it comes to overcoming stress, it all starts with accepting it. If you recognize, from the very beginning, that your move is likely going to incur some level of stress, the chances of it setting you back will be far less. Reflect on all the times in the past that you were able to accept occasional stress as a part of the process and were able to work through it – such as at school or in the workplace.

Stress is a very natural human response to demanding situations, but it does not mean the end of the world. In fact, stress can actually be good for you. It can be a great motivator and even help you grow personally. Accept it for what it is and recognize those stressful feelings and emotions when they arise. However, try to avoid letting it derail you from your moving to-do lists.

1. Purge

There is nothing more stressful than clutter. If you minimize the junk in your living spaces, you’ll automatically be able to breathe a sigh of relief. Not to mention, shifting the way you view your move from a necessary hassle to an opportunity will make a world of a difference. Moving can be a great way to kick start a bit of motivation and get done what you’ve been putting off for so long. Use your move as an opportunity sift through the clutter, purge, and get organized.

Place the items that you decide that you no longer need into three distinct categories: Sell, Donate, and Toss. Snap photos of the valuable pieces that are in your “sell” pile and list them on websites like Craigslist, eBay, or Facebook Marketplace. Alternatively, you can host a massive garage sale to get rid of all your unnecessary items and make some money to put towards the cost of your move.

1. Don’t Do it Alone

The thought of having to pack and move your entire home by yourself is incredibly overwhelming. It’s perfectly okay to ask for support when you need it, and the same goes for your move. While asking for help may not be an easy thing to do, for you own mental health, you simply may need to. Whether you decide to ask your friends or hire a professional moving company, you shouldn’t go at it alone. A set or two of extra hands will greatly minimize the stress of moving, and having someone else there can be an excellent distraction from what might otherwise be an exceptionally taxing endeavor.

One of the greatest benefits of hiring movers is that not only do they help with all of the heavy lifting on moving day, they can also pack up your entire home and ensure that everything is safely wrapped and transported to your new home. A professional moving company will handle all of the major tasks of your move, which means a lot less work (and ultimately stress) on your end. Just make sure that the moving company that you hire has a proven reputation of trustworthy and reliable service, otherwise you’ll be at risk of creating an even more stressful move for yourself.

1. Plan

This may go without saying, but it’s worth mentioning: make sure you have a strategic plan before you begin. One of the hardest parts about relocating is trying to remember everything about the move. You’re bound to forget something during the duration of the process. That’s exactly why creating a plan and drafting up detailed checklists are so important to ensure a smooth relocation. In short, a checklist is essentially a simplified way to document everything that you need to do and keep track of when it’s done.

Whether it’s choosing a moving company, packing, or changing your address with the post office, be sure to create a plan and include it on your checklist.

1. Give Yourself Enough Time

Time is one of the major sources of stress when it comes to moving. More specifically, when you don’t have enough time. While a completely stress-free move is difficult to achieve, you can significantly reduce the stress by making sure that you allow plenty of time to get everything done. In most cases, giving yourself enough time means starting early – even if it’s two or three months ahead of moving date. This helps to remove the pressure of sticking to a deadline and having to tackle everything last minute.

Carve out plenty of time on your calendar for the entire move, and specific blocks to achieve single tasks. Also, don’t forget to allow enough time for additional steps, including researching and choosing a moving company, cleaning the home you’re vacating, and getting your new utilities in order. The more tasks that you leave to the last minute, the more panicky you’re going to inevitably feel.

1. Get Some Sleep

With so much to get done, in often a short amount of time, it’s very easy for your sleep to take a backseat. However, the less rest that you get, the more likely you will start to easily feel overwhelmed by the stress of the move. It is highly advisable that you make sleep a priority during your relocation and try to get a full night’s rest as often as you can. Moving takes a lot out of a person, both mentally and physically.

If you’re not getting enough rest, you will quickly get burned out and be running on empty before you know it. Don’t forget to take care of yourself and recharge every night. You’ll notice how much less stressed you feel and how much more energy you have, as a result.

In addition to sleeping, try to eat well and maintain a healthy routine throughout the moving process. Don’t forget to treat yourself, take relaxing showers, listen to music, and take plenty of breaks. The last thing you want is to be completely consumed by your move that you neglect your mental and physical well-being.

Life has its’ stressful moments, and moving is no exception. However, moving does not have to be a burden that weighs on you until the moment you get settled into your new home. When you accept the experience for what it is, take care of yourself during the process, plan ahead, and seek out some additional help, you can greatly reduce this stress.

Need an extra set of hands for your upcoming move? Allow us to take the stress out of your move and handle everything from start to finish. Contact Three Movers today by filling out our convenient request form at the top of this page for your FREE, no-obligation moving quote!