Our family recently moved to San Antonio. Coming from Connecticut, I am not ashamed to admit I was a little scared about making this move across the country. I was looking forward to leaving the harsh northern winters behind, but I didn’t know much about the area other than it was home to the Alamo and the Spurs. Fortunately, this move turned out to be amazing, and I love the city. Our move was a success from the beginning because we made some smart choices to make the experience easier. If you are moving soon, here are my best tips for enjoying a stress-free moving experience.
1. Take It Slow
The last thing you want to do is to rush through a move. The experience is stressful enough. You don’t want to put a time crunch on top of this stress because it could make you snap. I recommend giving yourself at least two months to take care of all the tasks you need to accomplish before moving day. I gave myself three months, and that really helped lower my anxiety level during the process.
2. Make a List
As soon as my husband told me he his company was transferring him to San Antonio, I started composing a list of all the tasks that needed to be accomplished during the move. When you are facing a massive task like moving across the country, I think it is crucial to have a detailed plan that will keep you steadily moving forward.
I created a list of as many tasks as I could think of before I started the process, but I added things as time went by. Trust me, no matter how well you plan, you will surely forget a thing or two. Just make sure to leave yourself a few free days in your schedule that allow you to take care of these tasks when you discover them. I found leaving myself a flexible schedule allowed me to take care of all the moving chores really kept my stress level down.
3. Get Rid of the Clutter
One of the things that stressed me out was trying to figure out how in the world we were going to move everything we owned all the way to Texas. That stress melted away when I had a simple thought that hit me like an epiphany. We didn’t have to move all our stuff. I realized that this move was the perfect chance to get rid of all that clutter that our family had accumulated in our house over the years.
I became obsessed with getting rid of as many things as possible. While I was packing, I think I bugged my husband and kids a little bit with how aggressively I pushed them to get rid of things they no longer needed. However, it was well worth it. Because we were able to sell and give away so many things we never used anyway, I was able to save a lot of money by getting a smaller truck from the San Antonio moving company I used.
4. Take Care of Yourself
Even with a good plan of attack and plenty of time to get it done, a move is never a stress-free experience. There will be times when the process overwhelms you like it did to me. Whenever I felt like the move was about to make my head explode, I headed to the gym to get in a workout. I also made sure to get plenty of sleep and ate healthy meals during the move. Taking care of yourself is crucial to stay healthy and manage your stress during a move.
Following these four tips is the way to make your move an enjoyable experience. This will make the transition to your new community easier because you will arrive without feeling burnt-out. Make a good plan, give yourself plenty of time and remember to stay calm. Before you know it, your move will be accomplished.
