De-Stressing After the Stress of Moving Day

As if life wasn’t stressful enough, you have now got the stress of having moved home, considered one of the most stressful experiences of your life after divorce and bereavement.

Experiencing stress and moving home are almost inseparable. But you do not need me to tell you that!

So, you survived not only the physical stress of moving home but the emotional stress of moving house.

You have enjoyed a well-earned cup of tea (or glass of wine) and spent your first night in your new home.

Are you ready to unpack and face the million and one tasks still to complete?

There is still so much to do, unpacking, cleaning, child-proofing the home, and getting everything organised.

It is easy to see why people become so overwhelmed and stressed out.

In this article we will identify if you are stressed, we will offer you 5 tips on coping with stress after moving home, and you will also learn how to de-stress yourself.

Maybe you will even incorporate some of these ideas into your daily life in your new home.

Moving into a new home is the perfect opportunity to be a new you.

You may also like to read: The Bright Side of Moving Home. A useful way to manage stress is to focus on all the great reasons why you moved home. In this guide, we share reasons why moving home can be such a positive thing to do.

What Are The Signs That I Am Stressed?

Am I suffering from moving-home-related stress?

You may not even realise you are stressed, so let’s first look at the classic symptoms of stress.

Once you recognise that you are stressed we can look at how to de-stress you.

• Low energy
• Headaches
• Upset stomach, including diarrhoea, constipation, and nausea
• Aches, pains, and tense muscles
• Chest pain and rapid heartbeat
• Insomnia
• Frequent colds and infections
• Loss of sexual desire and/or ability

Remember, it is normal to have sleepless nights worrying about your home move and your new home, moving home without any type of stress is highly unlikely.

We like the security of familiar surroundings and are all creatures of habit, our old home indulged many of our habits and, of course, was familiar to us.

Habits and familiarity are our comfort blanket and you have just thrown your blanket away, everything is new and unfamiliar.

It will take time to create a new home, so there is no need to rush into anything…….

Now is the time to start looking after yourself. Your mind and body need a rest from home moving.

Yes, you still have a million and one things to do after moving, but with a refreshed body and mind those tasks will be nowhere near as daunting.

If you can do something about a situation, why stress about it?

If you can’t do anything about a situation, why stress about it?

You may also like to read: What are the Health Benefits of Moving Home? Moving home can actually be good for your health and in ways that you would not expect. In this guide, we share what the experts say are the health benefits of moving home and how you can apply those findings to your new life.

How to Manage Stress After Moving Home

1. Get Plenty of sleep and eat correctly

You probably packed all your kitchen away in boxes days ago, and were running down the freezer in preparation for moving it, so have been eating takeaways or fast food for days.

However, your body needs nutritious food to function correctly.

Take time out to prepare fresh food and then spend time actually enjoying the event of eating.

Around the table, you can congratulate yourselves on a move that was well organised and discuss the exciting times that lie ahead in your new home.

Staying positive and focusing on all the good reasons you decided to move is really important.

The greatest weapon against stress is the ability to choose one thought over another.

You may also like to read: How to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle During a Home Move. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle pre and post-move is essential to help you manage your stress levels. In this guide, we share some great advice to maintain or even kick-start a healthy lifestyle.

2. Get Some Me Time

This is really important.

How many times has your computer screen frozen and you have been told to unplug it for a few minutes and it will work fine again?

The same applies to you, unplug yourself from the moving day stress. You will work so much better when you restart.

You need time to just be alone, no boxes, no lists of things to do, no room planners, no colour charts.

Ask a family member to look after the kids for an evening, take a long bath, read a book, put your headphones on and listen to some soothing music, go for a walk, go to the cinema, anything to give yourself separation from the home move.

It will give you a fresh perspective on the tasks you still need to do when you do return to Operation Home Move.

You may also like to read: How to Cope With Emotional Overload During a Home Move. Moving home will expose you to a myriad of emotions, both good and bad. In this guide, we suggest some more ways to help manage your emotions during your relocation.

3. Learn to Meditate

You are not trying to become a guru, only to calm your mind.

There is no need for a kaftan or incense sticks, simplicity is everything in this meditation you can try.

Literally, a couple of minutes a day could change your life dramatically. Beneficial to both body and mind, it will give you calmness and a feeling of overall well-being.

Choose a quiet place to sit where you will not be disturbed, you can even do it parked in your car.

There is no need to sit crossed-legged in the classic meditation position, (you probably ache too much from moving all those boxes to get into that position anyway!)

Sit on a chair, feet flat on the floor, hands on your lap, back straight. Partially close your eyes, but not fully closed or you will fall asleep!

Try and think of absolutely nothing.

You are going to concentrate only on your breathing.

In through your nose, out through your mouth. Breathe normally.

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.

Your mind will wander from time to time and thoughts of all that unpacking will flood your mind. No problem. Just return your thoughts to your breathing. 

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. 

Start off with a couple of minutes a day.

It will amaze you how many thoughts will flood your mind in only a couple of minutes. But it will demonstrate to you how busy your mind is.

Just keep returning your mind to your breath.

Increase the time you meditate daily slowly. A gushing river soon runs dry so do not be impatient.

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. 

The solitude and ‘you time’ is extremely beneficial to you.

It will calm your mind, reduce your heart rate, can reduce blood pressure and will teach you to control which thoughts you allow yourself to concentrate on.

Meditation could change your life forever.

You may also like to read: How to Make a Home Feel More Relaxing. In this guide, we share tips on how to create a sanctuary of calm in your new home. From plants to decor to Feng Shui, this guide has numerous ideas to help make your home a more relaxing place.

4. Get Plenty of Exercise

Walking is the best free exercise you can do.

You do not need any special equipment, other than solid footwear and clothing appropriate to the weather, and your new local area will become your gym.

What better way to get to know your new surroundings and your new neighbours, than a daily walk?

As with any exercise, start off gradually and build up distance and speed as you get fitter.

Turn your exercise into a family event.

You will all benefit from not being sat in front of the TV and you can all learn about your new neighbourhood together.

Walking can be extremely beneficial to not only your body but your mind. Why not incorporate a walking meditation into your daily walk?

You may also like to read: How to Avoid Culture Shock After Moving Home. One of the great benefits of getting out and walking is discovering all the amazing places in your new neighbourhood. Getting to know your new neighbourhood will help prevent culture shock. In this guide, we look at why you may experience culture shock and how to manage it.

5. Write a Review

That may seem the last thing you need to worry about right now and the last thing you want to do.

But writing is therapeutic, when you look back over the last few days, all the good things that happened to you, you will rejoice in sharing those with fellow movers.

Equally, if you had a bad experience, writing a review is like sharing your troubles with someone who listens, but does not offer worthless advice in return.

Not only that, but you will get a sense of well-being from helping fellow movers make an informed decision on which company to use, and maybe even help that removal company by posting a positive review. 

You may also like to read: How to Write a Review for a Removal Company. Writing a useful review is not as easy as you may think. In this guide, we share the type of information that others would find useful and what to include and not include in your review about the removal company you hired.

Do not focus on how stressed you are, focus on how blessed you are in your new home. 

How to Get Organised After a Home Move

The days and weeks following your actual move can be just as stressful and require just as much planning and organisation as the actual move itself.

One way that is guaranteed to prolong your moving stress is not to have a post-move plan.

Here are some guides that will be invaluable to you when setting up your new home:

How Not to Get Overwhelmed Unpacking After a Move. In this guide, we suggest ways to motivate yourself to get unpacking and the best way to approach the unpacking of all your moving boxes.

How to Organise a New Home. In this guide, we look at the best ways to organise your new home, from storage options to how to label keys, this is a useful guide to read.

How to Make a New Place Feel Like Home. In this guide, we suggest ways to get to know your new area and neighbours. The sooner you become familiar with your new neighbourhood the sooner you will feel like it is your home.

Help! I Can’t Settle in My New Home. In this guide, we look at why some people find it difficult to settle into a new home and what you can do about it.

Our home moving blog is full of guides and tips about every aspect of moving home and settling into a new home. Be sure to check them out.

Here is a poem about moving home which I hope you find uplifting.

What is Home?

A roof to keep out the rain. Four walls to keep out the wind. Floors to keep out the cold.

Yes, but home is more than that.

It is the laugh of a baby, the song of a mother, and the strength of a father.

The warmth of living hearts, light from happy eyes, kindness, loyalty, comradeship.

Home is the first school and first church for young ones, where they learn what is right, what is good and what is kind.

Where they go for comfort when they are hurt or sick.

Where joy is shared and sorrow eased.

Where fathers and mothers are respected and loved. Where children are wanted.

Where the simplest food is good enough for kings because it is earned.

Where money is not so important as loving-kindness.

Where even the teakettle sings from happiness.

That is home.

God bless it.

Ernestine Schumann-Heink 

I hope some, or all of these ideas we have suggested here work for you.

But remember that you made a calculated decision to move for hopefully, very good reasons.

Focus on the positive reasons you moved, the positive aspects of the move and all that you have to look forward to in your new home.

Remember, adopting the right attitude can convert negative stress into a positive one. 

And finally………………………….. 

As we all know, laughter, or tears, are great stress busters, so here are a couple of home-moving jokes to make you smile………..

“I have to have a raise in my commission,” the estate agent said to his manager. “There are three other companies after me.”
“Is that so?” asked the manager. “What other companies are after you?”
“The electric company, the telephone company, and the gas company.”

By the time you finish paying for a home in the country, it isn’t.

Mark called in to see his friend Angus (a Scotsman), to find he was stripping the wallpaper from the walls. Rather obviously, he remarked “You’re decorating, I see.” to which Angus replied “No. I’m moving house.”