Your Guide To Dealing With Moving House Stress & Anxiety
Finding a new home is super exciting, but panic and stress can quickly sneak in. Luckily, we’re the home move experts, so we’ve put together this guide for dealing with moving stress and anxiety.
Spending time preparing for a new home is super exciting, but one thing it isn't is stress-free. Packing up your stuff, dealing with utilities providers, making arrangements for your new pad… you might find stress starting to sneak in, even though moving day is still a long way off.
Research shows that nearly one in three people found moving house to be more stressful for their mental health than childbirth. In fact, people find a home move more stressful than getting married, job interviews, and driving tests, making it one of the most stressful events of a person's entire life. That’s some seriously straining stuff.
Thankfully, there are some practical and handy tips you can use to reduce stress in the moving process. Read on to find out more.
Our top 6 home moving tips
Making home moves manageable is what we do, and we've helped thousands of families deal with the transition while they cope with moving stress. So it’s fair to say we know a thing or two about staying zen while handling the process. Without further ado, we give you our top 6 stress-beating tips, here to make your home move as smooth as velvet ice cream.
1) Create a thorough to-do list
The best thing you can do to ensure the arrival in your new house goes smoothly is to put together a thorough to-do list that covers off absolutely everything you’ll need to tackle, from start to finish. Emphasis on the ‘thorough’.
Start by jotting down anything and everything you need to get done. And don’t just include ‘packing boxes’ and hiring a home moving company - no sir. Your new property needs to have everything covered, from notifying your new local council to switching utilities suppliers, and wrapping up the final bills to sorting our broadband and media subscriptions in your new home.
It can be a pain, we know, but it’s 100% worth taking the time to do this. Our super-snazzy Ultimate Moving House Checklist might help you out here. Let your friends and family take a look too, to see if there’s anything you missed.
Then, sort the tasks into categories - utilities, the local council, packing, child or pet care - and figure out which things need to get done sooner rather than later. Go bullet point by bullet point. This way, you’ll be able to see your path forward, set out logically. Lovely stuff.
Creating a smart to-do list will keep you organised and feeling more in control - two factors that will significantly reduce your stress levels.
2) Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can power your home move forward using nothing more than some elbow grease and your force of will. Chances are it’s not going to happen. Reach out to people around you. Friends, family, neighbours… you’ll be surprised at the help people might be able to offer.
Seeking other people’s opinions takes time, and it can be tough to decide who’s got the best advice. But we could all use a little help. Even if it’s just having someone you can lean on for moral support while you move.
It’s also a good idea to speak to those close to you who have experience with moving house themselves, as they may be able to give you some advice and recommendations as to who you can hire to help.
3) Start small but start early
We understand what a mammoth task a home move can feel like. There’s a lot you need to achieve, often with limited time. The first step on the path to a stress-free move is to start small. Even if that means spending just 20 minutes labelling boxes each night.
Take it at your own pace - the important thing is to just start. Tackling simple tasks first will help you build momentum and, before you know it, you’ll be flying through the items on your moving house list.
Though it’s helpful to start small, it’s also essential that you start packing soon. Once you have your to-do list in place, you need to get going to ensure you have enough time to get everything done. Leaving things until moving day is the quickest way to invite stress and unsettled feelings into your mental health.
4) Clean your new house
Aim to give yourself some overlap between leaving your old property and arriving at your new home. Getting in and giving the place a good ol' fashioned deep clean can help create that feeling of a fresh start and do away with any moving stress.
It'll be a whole lot easier to scrub the corners without having to bend yourself around big boxes and new furniture. You'll have enough space to work. While you're at it, why not invite the whole family and some new friends for a cleaning party? It definitely doesn't need to be a stressful event. Getting the place squeaky clean can massively reduce anxiety - especially when you’re blasting 80s hits.
Finding all the things hidden at the back of cupboards or squirrelled away in the attic can be one of the most stressful things about moving home. You have to spend time sorting it out, and it can cost more money to get rid of it after you're all set up in the new location, which will pile on the stress. Much better to start from a blank canvas: new area, new house, clean home.
Don't pack up your cleaning supplies or send them off with the removals team (if you decide to hire professional movers). You'll want all those bottles and rubber gloves handy. And of course, don't forget: children + cleaning chemicals = one bad idea.
5) Pack an overnight box or bag
On the day that you’ll physically move to your home, there are plenty of things that can add to your stress. Picture the scene: the trucks are loaded, everyone is waiting, it’s all systems go, but you’re frantically trying to find a spare key. It’s not in your bag, but you swear you left it there. You should have been on the road half an hour ago… where could it be? Your mum? Buried in a box? Disappeared into the ether? You’re furiously pulling apart your beautifully packed boxes, but to no avail. What a nightmare.
A great way to avoid this happening is to pack an overnight bag or box that has everything in it that you’ll need for the next 24 hours of moving house mayhem.
Let’s face it, the chances are that once you’ve reached your new home, and the removals company is ferrying boxes from the truck to your shiny new front door, you’re not going to be in the mood to start unpacking straight away. So make sure you have a box or bag full of essential supplies and important documents. Having all that stuff together will see you through until you decide to start unpacking.
6) Use a Home Setup Service for a stress-free move
Asking for help isn’t limited to family and friends; you can also enlist the expertise of a Home Setup Service. At Just Move In, our friendly experts are armed with professional advice that can save you time and, more importantly, take the stress out of your house move.
With our help, you can cross things like content insurance, switching energy suppliers, arranging your broadband and phone, contacting your local council, and informing your water and sewerage companies off your to-do list. Over the years, we’ve helped thousands of customers smooth out and speed up their home moves. In fact, we’ve proven that having a Home Setup Service involved in your move can save you around eight hours of time-consuming moving admin, and a serious amount of worry in mental health terms. Not to mention the money saved on finding the best deals.
Wouldn’t it be great to know there’s someone handling the details and finding the best deals for you while you’re in the process of moving? Or better yet, to handle it yourself using our streamlined platform - where you’re in control the entire time. Our Move Specialists have quite literally been around the block, and they know exactly how to save you stress should you need their help.
There's less stress with the home moving experts
Moving home can be a strain on your mental health at the best of times, and you can guarantee life will throw up a few surprising twists and turns on the road to your new home. Maybe you feel stressed about a new job, you came across some negative articles in your research, you're behind with the packing, or the children are worried about a new school and not getting enough sleep. The stress of moving takes many shapes.
The point is, our home moving experts are close at hand to help make your life a little bit easier. We've got all the top tips you could ever need, and our friendly team of pros are armed with years of experience to help make your home move smoother.
If you’re interested in having our team assist you with the not-so-fun parts of moving house, and make your transition into your new home as stress-free as possible, you can find out more on our website.