Moving into a new home is an exciting time full of new possibilities and adventures, or at least that’s the case once you get there. In the meantime, moving is stressful. This is particularly true with long-distance moves where everything isn’t so simple as throwing your stuff in a rental or borrowed truck and going a few blocks over. Whether you’re relocating to Florida or moving a few states over, let’s look at how you can manage some of this stress as you prepare to move yourself and belongings.
Tips To De-Stress Your Long-Distance Move
1. Ask For Help
It sounds simple enough, but a lot of people feel guilty asking for help moving, especially when it’s a long-distance move that will prevent them from returning the favor. Some people don’t even know how to ask and receive help effectively.
Instead of viewing help as a chore you’re burdening your friends with, make it a moving party where you can create a few fun memories to leave with your friends as you close this chapter of your life. You can offer incentives to friends that come to your party, such as getting to keep an item you’re not taking with you on the move. You can make it a competition where the most useful advice or best-packed box gets a prize. Make a treasure hunt game out of packing by hiding a prize amongst your stuff that needs sorting and packing.
Get creative so that it’s as much fun as it is productive work toward your move. Ask early and be honest about your goals for the party.
2. Pack Smarter, Not Harder
Identify what needs to be done and make a plan to tackle it. This is how you tailor your very own stress management plan out of moving.
Make a checklist and timeline of what needs to be done, when, and how. Answer questions like if your move can be done in stages or if it’s a one-and-done deal? Figure out if you’ll use a moving company or DIY route, and when either should be scheduled actually to move your possessions. Break work down into smaller chunks.
By having a timeline for your to-do list, you won’t feel so overwhelmed by tasks rambling around in your mind, which can cause sleeplessness and further anxiety. You’ll know all the facets of what needs to be done and can be more confident that you’re making progress.
3. Take Care Of Your Body And Mind
It’s tempting to skip a meal, skimp on sleep, and forgo your usual coping mechanisms to de-stress to get some packing done. Don’t. Why? These are the main components in managing stress. If you neglect them because you’re stressed over moving, you won’t be less stressed by being more productive. It will have the exact opposite effect.
You can use this guide to eat, sleep, and sweat your stress away while you’re preparing to move. Remember that you can’t control everything, such as the weather, but you can control how you treat and nourish your body and mind.
4. De-Clutter Your Life
Don’t try to pack everything with no consideration to the value each thing has in your life. Most of us live cluttered lives full of things we haven’t used in months or years, and studies show that such clutter is actually a major stressor. Moving is the perfect opportunity to reorganize your life and purge stress-causing clutter. These tips on decluttering your home are actually a great blueprint for a less stressful move.
5. Prioritize Your Move
A lot of stress from moving comes from not having the right environment to accomplish the tasks at hand. Moving tasks are put off until the last minute because of social and work obligations. Small kids are an underfoot distraction, or you may try to take the entire job on without delegating to your family. You might even be prepping your home to sell as you’re trying to prep yourself to move.
Stop. Whatever the cause, the result is the same if you don’t prioritize your move on your calendar of obligations. Get a babysitter, delegate, request time off, skip socials, and whatever else you need to do to prioritize your move.