Mental Health & Moving House: What You Need to Know
Moving house isn't a walk in the park, for your body or your mind. Most people expect sleepless nights and the odd muscle pain, but few are prepared for the emotional toll that comes with finding a new home. So here's everything you need to know about moving and your mental health - because improvement starts with awareness.
Backache, muscle pains, lack of sleep, and a boatload of blood, sweat, and tears are what most people expect when it comes to moving house. All that manual labour can really take a toll on your body and work muscles you never knew you had - who needs the gym? - resulting in a fair bit of physical trauma, and maybe even a sprain or two along the way.
Whilst you might expect to be nursing your joints and moisturising your hands after long days of grafting for a move, what might surprise you is the effect moving house can have on your mental health, too.
Sure, we all know packing, unpacking, organising bills and whatnot can be stressful, but moving house is one of the most emotionally taxing experiences you’ll ever have in your life.
Houses are far more than just bricks and mortar. Those four walls see you laugh, cry, worry, anticipate, eagerly await, and celebrate. Feelings are felt that just can’t be boxed up, making it hard to say goodbye to the place you spent so much time in. The reason why you’re moving can also have an impact on your mental health and overall wellbeing.
Moving house generally coincides with a big life change, such as starting a family, taking on a new job, or a relationship change. The life event or big life change, paired with the stresses of moving, can result in your emotional state being dragged through the wringer, and the emotional side of things might be one that you hadn’t anticipated.
Mental health and moving house are closely intertwined. Here’s everything you need to know about the two, and some handy tips on how to manage the emotions you might feel when moving from your old house into a new environment, from the crack home setup team here at JMI.
How does moving house affect mental health?
No matter if you’re excited or feeling a little blue about your move, you’re likely to experience a rollercoaster of emotions during the process. The most pronounced impact on your mental health is going to be rooted in stress. There are a few reasons why moving is stressful (beyond the obvious logistics), and they include:
Attachment
The majority of people form a sentimental attachment to their home, largely due to the memories created within it. The thought of moving house and cutting that bond can be akin to cutting a relationship with someone you care about, such as your neighbours or friends. So, if you’ve ever felt crazy saying “goodbye” to each room in your house before closing the door for the last time, you’re not alone. It’s completely normal, but like a lot of goodbyes, it can be bittersweet and evoke a fair bit of blubbering.
Security
Homes are more than just a physical space to keep your stuff; they offer protection from the big bad world outside. Home is where you feel safe - it’s where you go after a long day.
Home is like a sanctuary, but it can take a while for a new place to feel like that. Until you settle in and get used to your new house, you might feel like there’s a lack of safety or security, maybe because you don't know the area very well yet, or because you don’t have a relationship with your neighbours. Not feeling like you have a secure space can make you feel stressed and anxious, and this can inevitably have a negative effect on your short-term mental health.
Stability
During the moving process, you’re likely to feel anything but stable. Very few people like change, and most people hate the idea of not knowing what’s going to happen next. Moving can throw up all kinds of challenges that lead to a lack of stability. Like most things, even if you plan it down to the very last detail with military-style precision, something will likely crop up and cause a bump in the road, leading to - you guessed it - stress.
Depression
For a lot of people, feeling stressed and anxious whilst moving tends to be limited to the move itself, and once they’re all done with the move, those feelings subside.
That being said, moving house can sometimes go on for weeks or even months, and living in a perpetual state of in-betweenness can sometimes spiral into a more long-term issue such as depression. Some people even find themselves experiencing panic attacks brought on by the stress of moving. This is especially true of children and teenagers who experience frequent moves.
How moving house mental health can impact your overall health
Mental health issues can quickly take a physical toll on your body, and this can have a negative impact on your overall health and wellbeing. Excess stress, anxiety, and worry can cause:
Sleep issues
A lot of people find themselves losing sleep over a move, which is, for sure, normal - up to a point. But if the issue persists, you could end up with insomnia or a skewed wake-sleep cycle. When your body doesn’t get enough sleep, you’ll find yourself battling a myriad of other symptoms, such as headaches and feeling run down… a bit like Al Pacino in Insomnia.
Poor immunity
Stress can have a direct impact on your immune system, making you more susceptible to things like colds. Though not typically the most serious of ailments, colds are unpleasant to say the least, and not ideal when time is of the essence.
Poor immunity is a classic example of what can happen when you feel overwhelmed mentally, making it all the more important to minimise the stress you feel when moving home.
Protecting your mental health during a move
It’s important to note that you can’t stop yourself from feeling waves of emotions during a move, and you will probably feel stressed due to the fact that it’s a massive upheaval and one of the big milestones on the path of your life.
However, there are a few steps you can take to try and control the impact moving house has on your mental health. They won't mean you’ll be totally stress-free during your house move, but they can help to reduce anxiety associated with the stress of moving, and help you find the moving process that little bit easier.
Accept your emotions
The first step is to accept that you will feel a range of emotions, both during the moving process and for the first few days after you've moved. So anticipate feeling excited, happy, sad, nervous, and unsure; after all, it’s only natural.
Knowing that you're going to experience all the emotions under the sun will make it easier to prepare for and accept them, and make them seem like less of a bolt from the blue.
See it as an opportunity
It may feel like you’re leaving behind everything and everyone you’ve ever known, but the goodbye doesn’t need to be permanent. Whilst you won’t live in that same house anymore, you’ll still get to speak to your friends and family, or visit the area again.
Distance doesn’t necessarily mean you need to cut ties. Instead, try viewing the move as a chance to make positive relationships with new people. It's also an opportunity to make new memories and new friends in your new pad.
Maintain continuity where possible
As mentioned, stability can be a big issue when moving. It seems like life gets put on hold whilst you’re in the process - but this doesn’t have to be the case. You might need to block out a few days for the actual move itself in order to pack boxes and get all your important documents in order, but make sure you keep going to the gym or a club you’re part of to try and maintain a level of normality. Enlisting our specialist help can help you lessen the time needed to dot i’s and cross t’s.
Ease the burden of moving
Packing up your life is hard - no way around it. It’s physically difficult and emotionally challenging.
At JMI, we are experts in helping you move house quickly and efficiently. We'll deal with all the mind-numbing logistics and legislation - the admin you could really do without - so you can focus on yourself and your emotional wellbeing.
Our home setup service means you don’t need to worry about a thing - so go explore the new area, do a food shop, or meet your neighbours. We can help you ensure you have a functional living space on moving day and get everything where it needs to be so you can relax after a long day.
Get in touch with us today to find out more.