Image: The Remote Yogi
Moving can be a stressful adventure for any person, but even more so for those who struggle with anxiety. Moving can be overwhelming, despite the excitement that you may feel landing your dream job in a new city, moving to your college town, or signing a lease at your new apartment. While you’re excited, it’s overwhelming to pack up your entire life into boxes and move into a new space. Due to multiple college and apartment transfers, I‘ve moved what felt like ten times. My next big move will be next month to a new apartment in Atlanta. I’ve learned a few tips and tricks in my moving experiences and wanted to share a few helpful and practical ways to manage your stress before, during, and after your big move!
Have A Plan In Place- It’s essential to plan before you pack. Time blocking periods to focus on a few tasks at hand can help you experience a stress-free day. What’s the highest on your priority list? How much time do you need for each task? Take weekends or long mornings or nights to help you accomplish a few things a day and avoid feeling overwhelmed. You’ll achieve more when you can solely focus on the task at hand for a few hours rather than trying to pack in a few short bursts at a time or complete several tasks at once.
It can also be helpful to pack everything in one room, such as the bedroom, move onto the bathroom or living room once the room is cleared, and clearly label each box based on which room it belongs to. This way, when you unload the box into your new house, you know which room you want to place it in.
2. Declutter The Mess - Clutter is one of the biggest stressors that trigger anxiety. To avoid this trigger, try to minimize any unnecessary items or junk creating overflowing or clutter. Categorize your belongings into three different piles: toss, sell and donate. Place your big-ticket or valuable items into the sell pile. Take a few photos and then list them on Craigslist, a Facebook market, or a group, or talk to a neighborhood about items you are interested in donating or selling. If the weather is nice, see if you can hold a garage sale. Looking to donate your items? Be sure to grab a tax deduction if you do or go to any other local thrift stores. Another idea would be to brighten up someone’s day by donating clothes your children don’t wear anymore or items you no longer need. The unwanted items can be either recycled or thrown away.
Don’t forget that you’ll want to empty your pantry and refrigerator before moving. It might be fun to create some oddball meals or order takeout to help reduce food waste.
3. Invest in Moving Supplies- Newspaper, bubble wrap, boxes, and labels can help ease any moving anxiety by creating organization and structure to where each time goes— a method to the madness. Not to worry- print newspapers do still exist, and you can usually get a few copies of community newspapers outside your local grocery store to help. Ask your friends if they have any extra boxes from previous moves, or ask retail outlets if you can gather any they’ve received. IF you’re willing to splurge a little bit, you can actually purchase a few boxes from Home Depot or shipping and packing stores. They usually are a standard size and sold in about small to large, making them super simple to load and stack.
4. Ask for Help- Once you’ve created a packing timeline or schedule, ask friends, neighbors, family members, or your church community if they’re available to help. Doing everything alone and lack of support can increase feelings of anxiety or frustration. Asking for help can increase productivity, foster a sense of community, and allow people’s unique strengths to shine.
Image: Gameday Moving Services
5. Call In The Experts- While it might be simple to call in favors from relatives or friends to help you pack, you also might find yourself needing to get down to your new city or home quicker than you think. One amazing business there to help you when you need it the most is Gameday Moving Services. They’re available to help you properly pack, protect your valuables, and help you move with ease. These fully licensed long distance movers in Athens, GA are also an insured company and extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and happy to help you move your items, big or small, to and from your next location and destination!
This is truly an exciting time for you, your loved ones, and the new chapter in your life! Are there any other tips you have to help ease your anxiety or even your loved one’s anxiety during this transitional time? I’d love to hear your own unique stories too.
Image: nourishglow