Moving home can be considered one of the most stressful things you’ll do in life, and while it’s something we all have to do, sometimes multiple times, it can sometimes feel like a thankless task that is a lengthy headache with very little upside, at least until you are safely ensconced in your new abode.

The whole process is a daunting one from start to finish, from the process of finding a place you wish to move to, to (if relevant) selling your current home, all the way to moving day itself and the travails of making your new house feel like home. 

The whole act makes many incredibly anxious, and it’s no surprise that in most surveys that chart the most stressful things you can go through in your entire life, moving home is just behind the death of a loved one and divorce; think about that for a moment.

The fact that moving home is ranked in the same bracket as truly life-shattering events, such as those tells you all you need to know. Remember also that the other two events we’ve mentioned are not exactly ones that we choose to experience, whereas moving home is pretty much something we elect to do of our own accord.

So, how can you take the pressure out of the move? Well, here are a few ways that should, hopefully, decrease some of the tension and strain. 

Time to Declutter

When it gets time to pack up, and assuming you might do this yourself, you should take the opportunity to declutter. This will serve two purposes. Firstly, it will help relieve you of possessions and items that you genuinely don’t need (you may even have forgotten you had them at all), and secondly, the act of decluttering will almost take your mind off the fact that you are moving home.

It can be very therapeutic to trim down your belongings and will make your new living space feel a little fresher and new. Consider giving items to thrift stores or offering them to friends and family so that the decluttering can also have some positive repercussions beyond just emptying cupboards. 
 

Time for an Upgrade

As you move, you will no doubt feel the need, quite rightly, to upgrade your big ticket items, and in doing so, the act of moving home will become far more exciting as it will represent a real improvement in your overall living standards.

If you are looking to perhaps buy new household items, take a look at these tips before buying pricey appliances. Moving home can be a disheartening process, perhaps because of the sheer energy and time it takes but also because perhaps you are sorry to leave a specific neighborhood; therefore, coupling this move with a chance to buy bright shiny new items is an excellent way to soften the blow.

Get Ahead of Things

When you get to the packing stage, it is all too easy to leave things until the last minute, and that is a massive mistake. We strongly suggest that you start packing as early as possible and do so according to a packing plan.

Set aside the specific rooms and put dates on when they should be packed up. Perhaps splitting the jobs between those in your family group and dividing the tasks can undoubtedly reduce the scale of the undertaking.

Obviously, leave the key items to the last day/night, those which you need access to, but you should look to break the back of the packing days in advance so that when it comes to the day itself, things are pretty much all taken care of.

Use Professional Movers

You should absolutely 100% not try to complete the move on your own. Many do look to cut costs by hiring a van and finishing the move without professional assistance, and frankly, while you may save some money, you will regret it almost instantly. 

Professional movers are professional because they’ve done this a thousand times, and the speed with which they’ll pack up items and get them to your new home is one way to reduce the stress of the occasion. 

Even just on a physical basis, the act of moving isn’t something most of us are capable of successfully completing without an accident or breakage occurring, and it’s not something you want to be doing by yourselves. 

Move Midweek

There are many ways to help keep the cost of moving down, and one easy one is to make your move on a weekday, which will instantly keep the cost of movers down. Additionally, it means that you can then set out a weekend in your new home to actually unpack. 

So, for instance, if you make the actual move on a weekday evening, perhaps Friday, then you’ll have the entire weekend to get comfortable before getting back to work on a Monday.

Label and Organize Effectively

When packing up, make sure to label boxes correctly and perhaps use a color coding system so as to know which box goes in which room when they arrive at their destination. 

In addition, make sure you have a few first-day/night boxes at hand because often, once the moving is complete, the last thing you’ll want to do is tackle the unpacking as a whole, and therefore having essentials easily accessible means that you can delay this aspect until the next day or morning.