So here I am sitting at my dining table surrounded by piles of boxes. As I look down at my shabby broken nails (the result of packing) The house is in complete disarray. In fact, it’s like tackling an obstacle course. With two huge bulldogs occupying the same place, they are normally flat out somewhere on a rug or on the floor and the risks of face planting at some point are quite high. People ask “aren’t you super stressed”? The answer is weirdly no I actually feel quite calm. The butterflies of excitement and anticipation are fluttering for sure.
A Familiar Feeling
In fact, all of this is comfortingly familiar. It seems that I have been on the move since the day I was born, and a theme that has continued throughout my life thus far. Now moving in your youthful years, feels very different once you are at the midlife point, and I’ve heard myself groaning on a couple of occasions. There have also been moments where I have felt less than calm. This is certainly a time to take care of energy levels and to pace yourself. Approaching the move in an organized calm way makes the whole process much easier. So how do you move house and stay sane at the same time?
Declutter and Stay Calm
There are endless things to be dealt with during a move, and taking the time to write down a list and tick off daily as you go, allows you to see what you are achieving. Remembering to label your boxes to go into each room at their destination. The best place to start once you know you are leaving is to have a huge declutter and get rid of all that you don’t need. One of those places that hide clutter is in the loft. Be ruthless with your decluttering, if it has been in your loft for years, then clearly you don’t need it, and probably forgot that you had in the first place.
Timeline
Make sure you know your timeline for moving and start packing as early as you can. Spending a few hours each day, packing one room at a time is going to allow you to keep some semblance of your normal daily routine. Start with the things you don’t need. If you are leaving in summer, then pack your winter clothes and equipment. Remember to do at least one thing each day that doesn’t involve moving or packing. This is important for your sense of inner calm and wellbeing.
Stress and overwhelm
For many people moving home is not only highly stressful but can be very upsetting too. Moving home is actually considered to be more stressful than losing your job or going through a divorce.This is particularly true if you are leaving family and loved ones behind, perhaps to start all over again in a foreign land. The thought of trying to make new friends, and build a new life can seem overwhelming and a little scary. Take some time to find out as much as you can about your new location. Check out groups like Meetup and join in advance. Many have newcomer meetings and is a great way to help you to get to know new people. If you feel your stress levels rising, then book in for a reflexology or other holistic therapy to calm and relax your mind and body.
Your health at this time
Looking after yourself during this time is paramount. This includes making sure you are getting enough good quality rejuvenating sleep, and remembering to eat nutritious meals. Moving home can play havoc with your normal healthy eating habits. Make sure you don’t fall into ordering too many takeaways over this period. If you enjoy meditating, then make sure you don’t neglect this beneficial practice. You may also want to download an App such as Headspace Mindfulness App and listen to that regularly to help keep you calm.
Different Cultures and Traditions
Many of my moves involved moving around the world to different countries. These moves continued in adulthood and I consider myself lucky and blessed to have had the opportunity to mix and mingle and embed myself in different cultures and traditions of each country. The smells of spice souks in the Middle East, hot and humid lively markets in Asia, wonderful memories indeed.
If your move involves moving abroad, then look for an expat group on the internet. People who have been to where you are going. This is invaluable as they will be more than happy to give you contacts, information and ‘real’ information about the locale, and can sway your decision on which areas to look for a home. Quite often I am approached for advice by people who are moving out to Dubai (a place I lived in for 28 years). If you are really struggling emotionally with a move abroad, then it may be a good idea to book a few sessions with a Coach who has some experience in dealing with expat issues. This will help alleviate fear and anxiety.
The important bits
- Make sure you have your mail forwarded. Once you know you are moving start to send letters to everyone, so you do not have to have a long-running redirection.
- Get yourself registered with your new GP Practice and dentist as soon as you arrive. Time flies when you are unpacking and settling in, and these things can easily be forgotten.
- Make life easy and order online food shop delivery during your period of settling
- If you have pets, it may be a good idea to have someone take care of them the day of the move as this can be equally as stressful or them as it is for you
- If internet connection is important to you, then make sure this is set up promptly
- It’s a good idea to take some photos of your energy meters too so there are no misunderstandings
Doing the above will help you to have a smoother move and transition from one home to another. It is an exciting time and within two weeks I will be in my new home too. Please feel free to get in touch if you need any help or support.
