Moving house is an exciting experience for most, but it can also be stressful. Not only is the process costly, and the to-do-list long; but professional advice on how to move may not come cheaply either. By way of fact, the estimated and averaged cost, in fees, of moving in the UK is around £8,885.66. Yes it is true that the price quoted varies depending on where you live, but it captures the average fees that come with buying, selling and moving house. What are the fees that are included, you may ask, click here to find out.
Please note that the above fees are not the only source of stress when someone is moving house, the purpose of this article is to explore other factors that may cause stress while moving home. While moving provides an opportunity to start fresh, meet new people and try new things it is also one of the most stressful experiences on record. According to an article written in The Telegraph in May 2016, two thirds of the people interviewed in the UK said that moving house is at the top of their stress list; because it triggers more anxiety than break ups, divorce and starting a new job. According to the chief executive of charity anxiety UK, moving house is stressful because of the changes one needs to cope with. In a statement to The Telegraph she states the following: “Moving house represents a transition in life, it is about change and unfamiliarity and for many people that causes stress and anxiety. Most of us like familiarity, routine and order. When you’re moving you have none of those. Plus it causes a ripple effect of change throughout your life. You’re not just changing your home and getting to know the new one, you might be in a new area, you have to find new schools for your children, take on a new commute to work, find a new general practitioner and a dentist.”
The lack of order, the uncertainty and upheaval that surrounds a move can trigger underlying health conditions such as anxiety, OCD and depression she later noted. It cannot be overemphasised how overwhelming an experience this is. To many people, moving house is a massive upheaval and a chaotic venture. Some psychologists suggest that our moving experiences can be this way because “we are inherently territorial creatures who like familiarity and routine”: things moving can undo.
The strain of moving affects the family unit as a whole and in fragments. It can especially distress children because it uproots them from their friends and the home they have come to know.
Depression after moving sounds like fiction for some but it is a real problem. Consequently, we at Percom have seven tips to help those who may be struggling with relocation anxiety or depression.
The seven things we find helpful are:
- Do deep breathing exercises.
- Sleep as often as your body needs.
- Take baby steps.
- Acknowledge and accept the anxiety you feel.
- Organise everything for the move.
- Hire professional movers, and
- Say the necessary goodbyes.
Do deep breathing exercises.
Deep breathing exercises have long been a soother of the mind. In mediation, subjects are often called upon to breathe deeply and focus on their breath. This is a simple de-stressing tool that we all can use. It always helps to do these exercises in a quiet environment. To begin, find somewhere comfortable to sit, lie, or stand in. If standing, we recommend doing so next to an open window. Once you have decided on how you will be positioned during the exercise, get comfortable. Next, close your eyes and take a deep breath in. You will know it’s a deep breath if your stomach expands with the inhalation. After taking a deep breath, hold it for four seconds before you exhale it over a six second interval. Repeat the cycle as often as you need to. Apps like Headspace can be helpful and Netflix also has a series on meditation and mindfulness that you may want to work alongside if you need a guided routine. Try this in the days, weeks and months leading up to your move.
Sleep as often as your body needs.
Does stressing over something make you tired? If your answer is yes, listen to your body’s suggestion and get some rest. Rest doesn’t always mean sleep, sometimes it just means stillness. However iif sleep is what your body is asking for, give it just that. Why? Well, sleep is a powerful stress reducer. Following a regular sleep routine calms and restores the body, improves concentration, regulates mood, and sharpens judgment and decision-making. You are a better problem solver and are better able to cope with stress when you’re well-rested. Needless to say, giving the body all the sleep it needs in the days, weeks and months leading up to and following the move is highly recommended by our team.
Take baby steps.
For a move to be underwhelming, one needs to tackle the small, most manageable things first. It is often the case that our clients feel most stressed when they are focused on tasks outside of their control. Making progress in anything begins with accomplishing small or big things off a to-do list. The same is true when one is moving: attack the manageable and small things that are on your list of things to do. The sense of accomplishment that comes with knowing a task has been done will go a long way in reducing some of the stress that comes with moving: Give it a try and see.
Acknowledge and accept the anxiety you feel.
Overcoming moving stress starts with acceptance. If you recognise from the get-go that you are probably going to incur some stress over the course of your move, you’re less likely to let it set you back when it happens. Think about other times in your life that you’ve accepted occasional stress as a part of the process and simply worked through it, like school or your job. Stress is a natural human response to a demanding circumstance, but it isn’t the end of the world. Take it for what it is and acknowledge the feeling when it happens, but don’t let it deter you from the tasks at hand.
Organise everything for the move.
In a prior recommendation, about taking baby steps, we began to look at organisation. Being organised is an essential part of moving house. It is often our experience that clients compile a list of things to accomplish. Some lists include things like sorting and labelling boxes, keeping all of the important documents at hand – the contract with your movers, new lease, etc. – in one, and others. Rest assured, if you make organisation a priority from step one, you will set yourself up for fewer headaches and an easier move overall.
Hire professional movers.
There are some moving tasks that are best hired out and this is something we often recommend to our clients. If your budget can make room for these expenses, it is only a benefit to designate major moving tasks over to moving companies. Not only will they help with the heavy lifting on moving day, but some may even help with boxing your items. The key to this being a stress reducer is for you to choose the most reputable and trustworthy moving company, otherwise you might inherit more stress than you can handle.
Say the necessary goodbyes.
One of the leading causes for relocation anxiety is the supposed loss of long secured relationships. A key to accepting the change that movers are embarking on is to say goodbye to the aspects of life that need goodbyes. This is the reason why we recommend that our clients be proactive in saying the appropriate goodbyes. These goodbyes are not the end of the relationship, instead it’s like this short poem says: “Goodbyes are not forever; goodbyes are not the end; it simply means I’ll miss you until we meet again.” Saying goodbye is an acknowledgement of the change and the relationships that are left behind are not necessarily harmed by it. For some this acknowledgement can soothe and reduce the stress that comes with moving.
Conclusion:
Life as a whole can be stressful and moving is no exception, but with the correct tools all stressors can be managed and overcome. We, at Percom Financial Services, hope those seven recommendations will help smooth the path that lies between your old and new homes. If you would like to read about the overall costs that come with moving, please check out this pamphlet. It will hopefully answer other questions you might have about the overall moving process.