Why Moving Stresses You Out So Much (And What To Do About It)

Moving house should be a fun and exciting experience. But all too often, it devolves into something that makes you feel stressed out of your mind. You want to be able to enjoy yourself. But you find that you can’t because of all the pressure on you, both emotionally and financially.

If you feel stressed-out by moving, you’re not alone. It turns out that it is one of the most stressful life events that any of us face, according to research.

But why does it make us stressed, and what can you do about it? Let’s take a look.

You Expect It To Be Stress-Free

Have you ever noticed that when you prepare yourself mentally for something stressful, you’re much better able to deal with it? It’s called priming. And it allows your mind to adjust itself to cope with whatever problems come your way.

Unfortunately, many of us go into the moving process, believing that it’s going to be stress-free. And that’s where the problems can start. We think that it’s going to be a walk in the park, whereas it winds up being anything but!

The trick here is to expect it to be stressful in advance. This way, you can avoid feeling as though you’ve been robbed. In other words, you’re ready for it.

You Go All Out

Some people like to confront big problems head-on straight away. So when it comes to moving, they automatically think that they need to tackle every problem immediately. And that creates stress because the task feels so insurmountable.

The best approach here is to break down all the work into smaller chunks – as you might do in other parts of your life. Start off small by perhaps tackling one room at a time and allow yourself a longer period to sort things out. Don’t be afraid of going slow and doing things methodically.

You’re Not Organised

Not being organised is another big reason moving feels stressful. You know that you need to plan ahead and make sure that everything works to a schedule. But, for whatever reason, you still haven’t done the work.

Your best bet here is to get local movers to do all the packing and timetabling for you. Since they are experts, they already have systems in place to make moving a breeze.

You Aren’t Getting Enough Sleep

Moving house is both physically and emotionally demanding. So it is essential that you get enough sleep. Try switching off your alarm clock on the week of the move. And try to avoid using your phone or responding to emails late at night as this can disrupt your sleep cycle.

You’re Not Giving Yourself Enough Time

Failing to give yourself enough time is also a big stress-inducing factor that can make moving house a nightmare. Trying to get everything done in the space of a week is just impractical and bound to make you feel on edge. There’s just so much work to do and so little time in which to do it.