How to manage stress when moving

Moving is one of the most stressful things a person will experience in their life. And if you are not careful you will easily get sick. The impact that stress has on health is well known. Therefore you should learn how to manage stress when moving in order to maintain your well being.

Plan things carefully

When you start your moving process it is well advised to plan with care. Find out what kind of move you are doing and for what jobs are you going to hire professionals. The more you try to do yourself the more stress there will be. Especially if you are new to moving. Inviting friends to help may seem like a good idea but that usually depends on your friends and how much you are able to organize them. Everyone likes efficiency and a small, well-organized group is much more efficient than a big group of people rushing around not knowing what to do. Pick friends that are physically able and are willing to listen to your plan. Have everything packed when they come in order to save on time and keep things going.

Girl making plans

Planing help manage stress when moving

How to approach packing

Don’t start packing too soon. A common mistake is to start packing weeks if not months in advance. The logic being that if you have plenty of time you won’t stress yourself. Wrong! Starting to pack too early will leave your apartment looking like a warehouse. There won’t be a time when you are not thinking and worrying about moving since you’ll be constantly surrounded by boxes. Start packing 10 days in advance, maximum. When you pack, be sure to clear rooms.

By that, we mean to make sure a room is completely packed before you move on to the next one. Make sure that everything is properly packed and labeled. This gives you a feeling of completion. And this feeling is very beneficial when you try to manage stress when moving. Consider making two lists. One is the list of all the things you have to move. And the other being a list of all the things you have to do. Checking down the jobs that are complete and the things that are moved will give you a clearer idea of what’s being done, and what’s to come.

Get familiar with your movers

One of the great benefits of hiring local movers is that you can do this much more easily. Moving companies know how stressful moving is and that you are worried about your possessions. Good moving companies will try to provide as much information as possible in order to give you a peace of mind. How do they plan to move, how long do they expect the move to last these are all pieces of information that when known will calm you and give you a sense of control.

Implement healthy living habits

The way that stress screws us up is by manipulating our hormones. Being overly stressed haywires our brain and our body suffers because of that. But luckily it’s not a one-way road. You can reduce stress by managing your body and hormones. The first thing to do is to eat properly. Avoid caffeine, processed sugars, and junk food. Eating healthy keeps your hormones in check and gives you more energy in the long term. Exercise is tremendously important. It doesn’t really matter what you, just as long as you do it often and properly. We weren’t build to be sitting around all day and exercising helps us reduce stress and keeps us ready to take on new challenges. Pick something that’s fun for you to do and go nuts.

Person having fun in the snow

Using your body is supposed to be fun

Calming techniques

Breathing is a great way to manage stress when moving. There are a number or deep breathing techniques that can help you relax and gain your composure when stressful times come. Doing them every day will help you feel centered and relaxed. You should also look into relaxation exercises like yoga or tai chi. These were designed to help you slow down and relax all the tensions you may be having in your body. There are many different ways and intensities in which these can be done and you should look up online to see which one suits you best.

Doing thai chi in park - avoid stress when moving

Thai Chi is a great way to reduce stress

Sleeping

It’s hard to overestimate how important sleeping is. A good night sleep will give your body rest that no napping or coffee can substitute. Consider investing in good pillows and mattress in order to give yourself the best possible sleep. If you are not able to fall asleep, don’t struggle in bed. Get out and read. You need to be calm in order to sleep but you cannot force yourself to be calm. So read something relaxing and let go of anything that’s worrying you. Avoid looking at screens such as laptops or phone as the blue light that they emit will wake you up.

Stress when moving

No matter how much you plan, there will always be mistakes. We are only human after all. Just be sure to avoid big mistakes such as picking bad movers and not having things ready on time. For the rest, give some room for error. It will save you from needless stress. And be sure to remember that it’s ok if not everything is perfect and not everything went according to plan. Slow and steady wins the race.