With each relocation comes stress and anxiety. It is inevitable, no matter whether you are happy to move or not – you will have to deal with them. But the answer for that is not to lock yourself in or close yourself off when you are not too busy packing; this will only invite a strain that will damage your relationship with others involved in the move, as well as friends and relatives. Moving house does not have to be such a stressful event, and you can take measures so that the stress does not affect you as heavily.
Most people get stressed out because they do everything all at once. Imagine the relocation as a smoothie – just as you drink too fast and get a brain freeze, so too do you get more stressed out if you are in a hurry to do everything. In this scenario you are inviting stress about the move because this is the only thing you are thinking about. Plan the move days or weeks ahead, look for a moving company first and then start organising and packing for a time, but not for the next day. Use your free time for relaxing, not filling your days with worry over whether the moving checklist is full or whether the movers will come on time.
A very wrong way to deal with the stress is alcohol. Inebriation rarely leads to good things. And yes, you can take your mind off the whole relocation with a drink or two as long as you don’t make it a habit. It is much more preferable to spend more time with friends and loved ones rather that closing yourself in your living room, hugging a bottle of brandy. Stress is not something that can be flushed out.
Fighting off the anxiety of moving to a new, unknown location and starting a new life among unknown people seems intimidating, but you should remember that people do it all the time. As you are reading this sentence, hundreds of other people have already settled in their new homes in a new town or city. Sure, it takes some getting used to, but it is nothing fatal, so fretting about it will do nothing for you. Most of the time anxiety and stress come from a singular worry – one question to dominate your thoughts. Ask yourself what that question is, what is it that so bothers you about the move? An answer to that question might very well be the respite you seek.
And if nothing else works, then there is always keeping your mind clear. Find a nice and peaceful park and do frequent walks to refresh your thoughts. Rest between packing jobs and don’t try to push yourself too hard. When the packing is done, just check the moving checklist every now and then to make sure everything is there, and sit down and relax. All you need to do now is wait for the moving van to come and take you off to the new stage of your life.
