According to a study by the Physiological Society, outlined by Global News, moving is one of the most stressful life events you can experience. It makes sense when you consider the financial and logistical challenges that accompany a move, not to mention the change that it entails. Change in and of itself is stressful, so the change moving involves, plus all the other moving related challenges, combine to make it extremely stressful. As such, many people tend to experience moving related anxiety. If you are currently experiencing this, read on to learn how to handle your move related anxiety:
- Keep the Right Attitude: Stress is a common cause of pessimism and lack of focus. If you are struggling with stress and anxiety relating to your move, remember to keep the right attitude to counteract that pessimism. Focus on the positive elements of your move, the chance to meet new, interesting people, the ability to engage in new activities. Even if it’s a small positive, focus on something that will be beneficial about your move. Also, remind yourself that the process of moving is temporary in nature and you will once again feel settled in your new place, eventually.
- Do Your Research: Since one of the main stresses relating to moving involves the unknown, one way to counteract moving related anxiety is to educate yourself on your new location. Learn which roads are best, which times of the day, what restaurants are nearby that you just have to try, what parks are nearby and what do they offer. Knowing a bit of what to expect will reduce the “unknown” aspect of your new home and subsequently reduce your anxiety level relating to the unknown element of your new place.
- Organize Your Move: Sometimes, anxiety can become overwhelming simply because you don’t have a plan of action. Make a checklist of items that need to be taken care of before, during and right after your move. This will ensure all your tasks are broken down into manageable size. Check off items as you complete them. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and reduce anxiety as you can see your “to do” list dwindling.
- Begin Early: Don’t wait until the last minute to prepare for your move. This will only make the tasks associated with the move that much more rushed and stressful. To prevent this from happening, start preparing for your move early. You can start organizing, removing clutter and boxing up nonessential items as many as weeks or months before your actual move.
- Accept Help Offered: Finally, in order to reduce your moving related anxiety, accept any help offered. If your friends and family members are willing to help you, allow them. Give up some of your many tasks to able hands, and reduce the burden on yourself. Be sure to show your appreciation to anyone who helps you. Buy them dinner, provide drinks and snacks while they are helping you, etc.
Moving is a stressful and anxiety inducing life event. Thankfully, by following the tips listed above, you will better manage your moving related anxiety.
Sources:
https://www.lifestorage.com/blog/moving/moving-stress-and-anxiety/
https://globalnews.ca/news/3311454/the-most-stressful-situations-in-life-and-whos-more-stressed-about-them/