From Removals to Revelations: Tips to Deal with Moving Stress

For many of us, moving to a new home is an exciting prospect: whether you’re just moving down the road to a new suburb or a completely different state; relocating offers a new opportunity to explore an unfamiliar place and start fresh.

However, just like anything else in life, things can go wrong which is why for many people, mixed in with the excitement of moving comes the fear of the unknown and a risk of stress and anxiety when things don’t go according to plan.

In this article, we will explore practical tips to navigate through the moving process while keeping your anxiety and the stress of moving house to a minimum.

Understanding Moving Stress

For many of us, moving can be a highly emotional experience. With so many moving parts during the experience, it’s no wonder why we start to feel stressed out. From the anticipation of change to dealing with logistical challenges, understanding some of these stresses will help you manage them more effectively.

Here are some of the main reasons why we find moving stressful:

The Fear Of Change And The Uncertainty Involved

Moving is well known to disrupt our normal routines and our comfort zones, throwing us into a state of uncertainty and upheaval. Thoughts may creep into our minds about adjusting to the new environment we are moving to, finding work, losing support services in your current local community, making new friends and even finding our way around a new area whilst leaving a familiar place and the people you know behind for pastures new.

With feelings like this, it’s no wonder why this can trigger anxiety and stress as we grapple with an uncertain future.

The Financial Strains Of Moving

Moving can be an expensive endeavour, especially if you are moving long-distance or interstate. People have to grapple with elements such as organising transportation, having to rent trucks, hiring removalists as well as paying for potential deposits and other fees associated with a relocation.

These types of financial pressures can add to the overall stress of the moving process, especially if you are already starting out on a small budget.

Dealing With The Logistic Side

When moving, there are many things to consider such as packing up all of your belongings and coordinating transportation as well as arranging utilities and other elements in your new home. With this comes the feeling of endless deadlines, time pressures, lots of decisions to make and details to manage.

For this very reason, we decided to build a couple of free downloadable checklists which can help people get organised and reduce their stress levels:

• Change of Address Checklist
• Moving Home Checklist
• First Time Moving Out Checklist

If you have kids or pets you need to manage them efficiently too. Both children and animals have a tendency of getting overly excited, so you will need to deal with them delicately.

For more helpful information, you can read our guide on how to move with pets and tips on how to move with children here.

All these elements can result in the feeling of being overwhelmed and stressed as well as bring out mental burnout.

Dealing With The Emotional Rollercoaster Side

As you start the moving process, it’s normal to feel emotional as you say goodbye to loved ones, familiar places and memories which may hold lots of nostalgia for you.

Combining this with the experience of excitement and anticipation for new things to come, makes a blend of emotions that some people may have difficulty coping with.

The Impacts Of Stress

Stress is a natural part of our lives. It’s the body’s way of responding to challenging or threatening situations.

In very small doses, stress can sometimes be helpful, giving us the energy to deal with a difficult situation. When there is too much stress involved however, it can cause negative repercussions and take its toll on physical and mental health.

Unfortunately for us, stress is no stranger in people when it comes to moving houses and is commonly associated with it.

Some of the signs of dealing with too much stress or relocation depression involve the following:

• Struggling to get enough sleep at night
• An inability to relax or unwind
• Mood swings and becoming irritable
• Forgetfulness
• A loss of appetite
• Trouble on focusing on the task at hand
• Snapping easily
• Doing things out of character

If you find you are experiencing an overwhelming amount of any of the symptoms listed above, your move is likely starting to overwhelm you.

The worst thing you can do in this situation is to procrastinate or delay things, as it can only make things worse in the long run.

Try taking a positive approach to the task at hand by addressing your concerns early on by speaking to somebody or getting help with your relocation.

How To Better Manage Stress Levels When Moving

Preparing for the Move

While this may seem like an obvious thing to say, prevention is the best cure. You would be amazed how many people we see packing and organising things at the last minute.

Through proper preparation, you can help minimise stress levels to an acceptable level and improve the odds of a smooth transition from your old home to your new one.

Start by using a moving checklist to get things organised. One of the key strategies to minimise stress is thorough preparation. The earlier you start planning, the less rushed and chaotic the move will be. Give yourself plenty of time to declutter, pack, and make arrangements.

Having the Right Attitude

To complete a successful move, we recommend approaching your move with the right frame of mind. This could make all the difference between a smooth transition and a poor one, as well as creating a positive experience all around. In order to cultivate a positive mindset, try some of the following:

• Embrace the Change: Rather than thinking of the negative sides of the move, see this as an opportunity to begin a new chapter in your life by making new friends and creating fresh memories for yourself. Remember that moving day will be over soon and you can forget about all the problems that come with it after it’s completed.
• Maintain Self-Care: Remember to prioritise your well-being during any move. Ensure that you get enough sleep and you eat healthy meals regularly. By keeping energy levels high, you can boost your mental health and your resilience. You can even try techniques such as deep breathing and meditation to help manage stress levels and stay calm when things get hectic. Most importantly, make sure that you schedule some relaxation time in your moving schedule to give yourself a full recharge.

Tackle Administrative Tasks Head-On

As someone famously once said, ‘an idle mind is the devil’s workshop‘. In other words, if you have lots of administrative tasks that need to be taken care of before your move, don’t leave them there idly sitting by – you are going to want to handle these sooner rather than later.

This can include multiple tasks such as:

• Setting up the utilities in your new home
• Transferring your Internet connection
• Informing the post office of your new address
• Updating your employee information
• Informing the ATO

For more information on what you might need to take care of, use our change of address checklist specially built to tackle these kinds of tasks.

The Art Of Packing Strategically

Staying fully organised is paramount to the success of your relocation as well as minimising stress levels; this includes the packing element.

When it comes to pre-packing your items, it’s best to do this early and systematically. While the temptation of leaving your packing until the final days of your move is tempting, this is a common trap that many people fall for.

By starting early, you help to reduce stress levels by leaving yourself more time for other tasks that may take longer. It also helps you transform a move that may have started chaotically into a much better and well-coordinated endeavour.

Some top tips on your packing include:

• Declutter ruthlessly: As we’ve already highlighted above, it’s time to start minimalising where possible. Throw away items you don’t need or donate them to a charity shop. You can find more decluttering tips here.
• Start early, pack smart: As mentioned above, don’t wait too long to begin the process. If possible, spread your packing over a couple of weeks and tackle each room one by one – don’t forget to label your boxes clearly!
• Essentials first: Consider packing a box for “day one” in your new home with moving day essentials like toiletries, medications, and a change of clothes for immediate access.
• Wrap with care: To protect any fragile items consider purchasing bubble wrap and use sturdy boxes to put your items in. To prevent any damage to your belongings, try not to overstuff any boxes so that things don’t get crushed. If you are short on packing materials you can visit our packing materials or free moving boxes page.
• Play music while packing: To help make things a little bit more fun, why not play some music during the packing process? Visit our blog for suggestions for a moving playlist and more tips.

If you find that you have too much to pack, then you can always consider using our professional packers and movers in Sydney to help get the job done for you.

The Importance Of Self Care

We have already briefly touched upon this earlier, but looking after yourself is vital to the success of your health and well-being.

When dealing with the chaos of preparing for a move, you’re going to find that your normal routine will be out of sync. This means that common times spent relaxing and catching up with friends may now be consumed by preparing for your inevitable exit.

We can’t recommend enough the importance of taking regular breaks and getting sufficient rest. When on the job, try taking a break every hour or so.

Knowing When To Call For Extra Help

Sometimes for some of us, pride can get the better of us and we think we can deal with things on our own. If however, you find that you are falling behind schedule or that you have way too many things to deal with then maybe it’s time to enlist the help of family or friends to assist.

Option B would be to consider hiring professional movers to do the job for you. With us for example, we can expertly take the stress out of relocating and not the joy. Our highly trained team tackles moves daily all over Sydney with procession and care.

We offer some moving services that may be of interest to you which include:

• Last minute removals
• Fragile removals
• Piano removals
• Fridge removals
• Heavy furniture movers
• Sydney Removals
• Interstate Removalists
• Man With A Van

You can also call us any time at 0246072460.

Dealing with Unexpected Challenges

As with anything in life, unexpected things can go wrong. It’s important to remember that we are only human and even the most seasoned movers (and professionals like us) can face curveballs which may cause unexpected delays and disruptions to carefully laid plans.

If you find that moving house stress is starting to kick in, then some of these tips will help you navigate through them with a clearer mind:

• Pause and assess: Remember to take a deep breath and tackle the challenge logically and constructively. There is always a solution for everything and by searching for it calmly, it will improve your mental wellness to get the job done.
• Communicate clearly: Remember that communication saves time and prevents misunderstandings. If you are working with professional movers, let them know of any unexpected situations that may have arisen before your move. Get in touch with your landlord if you have to, or with utility companies as soon as possible to put out any fires.
• Adapt and improvise: If you find that your move has been delayed, then get on straight away to rearrange any deliveries or consider using temporary storage. The key here is to think outside the box! You can review our removals and storage page for more details if you find yourself in this situation.
• Don’t lose sight of the bigger picture: Remember, that bumps in the road are only temporary. Focus on the exciting adventure ahead, keeping a clear mind on the task at hand.

Conclusion

It’s no secret that moving is a big job and dealing with stress is a normality in this situation.

By adopting the tips and strategies laid out above, not only will you be able to better manage stress levels more effectively, but also turn the whole experience into a positive one.