How to Deal with the Physical and Mental Stress of a Move

Disclaimer: First off, if you are feeling depressed, anxious or having any thoughts of self-harm, I want to emphasize it is time to seek professional help. I am by no means qualified to treat any serious depression or mental health issues.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s move on to how we can help alleviate some of the physical and/or mental stress that comes with a move. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, moving is one of the toughest experiences anyone can go through. It takes a long time for the dust to settle after a move, but eventually, this new place you live in will feel like a home. In the meantime, it is important to take care of yourself and your loved ones to help ease some of the stress that comes with this arduous process.

1. Schedule Down Time

At some point in adulthood, we just have to start scheduling a time to relax, but this especially becomes true during a move. It is easy to get to a point where any free time you spend, you either start thinking, researching or actively working on moving-related activities. Eventually, though, our body and mind need a break from all the constant work, so make sure to schedule a time to relax. Even if it’s just watching television, eating a piece of chocolate or sitting outside can make a huge difference.

2. Schedule Time to Process

Moving can be a time to celebrate, mourn, or maybe even both. It is important to give yourself time to mentally process all the changes that are happening during a move. Whether this means crying or dancing around cheering is entirely up to you. Don’t get so busy that you have no time to process all the new changes in your life.

3. Yoga

Taking a yoga class is a great way to heal the mind and body of ailments that come up during a move. Take some time to go take a class at a yoga studio, or even just do a yoga video in your living room.

4. Professional Counselling

Even if you aren’t going through serious depression, anxiety or what have you, it can still be a good idea to go see a counselor for at least a few sessions to talk things out. Moving is hard, so there is nothing to be ashamed of in going to talk to someone.

5. Exercise

Don’t overdo it and start a whole new exercise regime that leaves you injured and tired, but keeping up with exercise or doing something light will keep you physically and mentally fit. Exercise helps balance out our stress hormones so that our body literally feels less stressed after a good workout.

6. Spend Time with Friends and Family

When we get to hang out with our friends and family, it gives us the support and love we need. Not to mention, it gives us time to vent out all our frustrations about the move.

7. Consider Getting Help with the Move

Getting help from movers, friends, family, neighbors or whoever else you can manage is nothing to be ashamed about. Even getting the smallest bit of help is just one less thing that you have to do yourself. Organizations offering moving assistance to low-income families can be a lifeline, significantly reducing both the financial and emotional burden of relocating.

8. Prepare Early

Moving is a lot more stressful when you leave everything to the last minute. Start preparing as soon as you know the moving date, so that you spread the labor over multiple days, weeks or even months.

9. Set a Budget

Don’t let the cost of moving increase your worry; moving is expensive. Create a budget that includes all the costs related to your move in order to keep your finances in order. Do you intend to work with a moving company? Will you be renting a truck on your own? Do you intend to rent a storage unit? By making a budget (and sticking to it! ), you can prevent unforeseen financial hardships.

10. Learn How to Safely Move Heavy Items

Moving is extremely hard on the body, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. Make sure that you lift items by engaging your arms, shoulders and legs– not your back. Use a dolly or strap to move your large and heavy items.

11. Get Rid of Much Stuff as Humanly Possible

The less stuff you have to move, the easier to move. Sell, give away or donate any items that you no longer use or want. Heck, I would even get away with some items that I may still use if it saved me a lot of work.

12. Manage Your Emotions

There will always be hiccups in the road, regardless of how skilled a planner you are. However, how you approach them and your attitude will ultimately determine how successful the experience is. Try to maintain a positive, grounded mindset, and always be prepared for the unexpected. You’ll be equipped to overcome any challenge if you have an optimistic outlook.

13. Change Your Attitude

The key is attitude! Your stress levels might be significantly reduced by altering your perspective on the move. If you’ve had some bad moving experiences in the past, you could feel anxious and nervous about your future relocation. Your perspective can alter by viewing this next step as a new beginning and a rewarding experience.

Making a playlist of upbeat music to listen to while moving can sometimes be as simple as doing something small yet quite effective. Consider your move as an exciting chance to declutter your home and discover a new neighborhood.

14. Maintain a Healthy Diet

When we move, it can be easy to slide into bad eating habits out of laziness and lack of time. Even if you do take some shortcuts, try to still eat fruits and veggies to keep the immune system tuned up. It may even be a good idea to supplement your diet with vitamin C to help stave off getting sick during a move.

15. Find Doctors in New Area

Just in case you do get sick during the move, it can be a good idea to establish where you can go to the doctor. If you have insurance, this is particularly a good idea, so that you know what doctors are within your network.

16. Reward System

Treat yourself to one big reward or a bunch of small rewards to help motivate you to get all this work done. Even something small as ice cream can make loading up all those boxes seem a lot more bearable.

17. Know Everything Probably Won’t Go Perfectly

Setting too high of expectations for a move is bound to lead you to disappointment. Plan for something to go wrong, so that you aren’t surprised when it happens.

18. Do Not Push Yourself too Hard

Overall, the best thing you can do for yourself is to not push yourself too hard. If this means planning, getting help, and taking lots of breaks- do it.

19. Consider Purchasing Moving Insurance

Think about purchasing moving insurance as a means of reducing the stress and worry associated with moving. Moving insurance offers additional protection for your possessions in the event of loss, theft, or damage during the move, providing you peace of mind that your goods are protected.

Furthermore, moving insurance may reduce your financial exposure to loss or damage during the move, potentially saving you a significant amount of money over the long term. So, think about getting moving insurance if you want to lessen the stress of relocating and guarantee that your possessions are covered.