How to Reduce Stress When Moving House

Image by Justin Shearer via Flickr

Moving house is widely considered to be one of the most stressful things that you can ever do. Employing good local or interstate removalists will reduce the worry of loss or damage to your property, but you probably have to accept that a certain degree of house moving pain is inevitable. There are plenty of things that you can do though to keep it to an absolute minimum.

Plan ahead
Moving house is a complicated and time-consuming business. There is a lot to do, from booking removalists, to disconnecting and reconnecting utilities, organising change of address notifications and arranging for your old property to be cleaned. And that is even before we begin to think about packing up all your worldly belongings and transporting them across the city or country. If you leave it until the last minute to organise all this, it will be incredibly stressful. So, plan ahead, create a schedule and stick to it.

Cull your possessions
Most of us have far too many material possessions, many of which are little more than junk. A soon as you know that you are going to move house, take the opportunity to sort through them and cull anything that you no longer need. Not only will this process get you used to the idea that you are moving, it will mean that you have far less to pack up when the time finally comes around.

Take your time
If you can possibly manage it, try to give yourself some free time around the day of the move. Take a day or two's holiday so that you don't have the stress of work competing the stress of moving. Being able to take a slightly more leisurely approach to unpacking when you arrive at your new home will make the whole experience much less unpleasant.

Don't try to unpack all at once
When you arrive in your new home you may be tempted to try to unpack everything all at once. Resist the urge. All that will happen is that you will run out of steam, with little achieved except the creation of an enormous mess. Limit yourself to unpacking one room on the first day. The living room is an obvious choice; having it organised will give you somewhere to relax and help you begin to feel at home.

Have an essentials box
Pack a box of essentials such as a radio or MP3 player, a kettle, and some tea or coffee, for when you first arrive in your new home. Being able to have a relaxing cuppa and listen to some music will make it easier to face the unpacking ahead.

Don't try to do it all yourself
It is possible to do everything yourself, right down to loading up the truck and driving it to your new home, but what you save in money you will more than pay for in pain. At the very least, let professional removalists take the strain on moving day. Many of them offer extra services too that are designed to make your move as relaxed as possible. For the best removal experience possible, you could even employ someone to pack up your house for you.