Moving House Can Be Exhausting
So, you have to move. Whether you’re upgrading to a bigger space, downgrading to a smaller house or need to move due to corporate relocations, moving is exhausting. Besides having to go through all your belongings to decide what to keep or throw away, you also have to move large and small pieces of furniture as well as clean the old house. If you have a garden, there’s a garden to attend to. You have to consider that you’ll be moving house with your dog, if you’ve got a dog (or any other pets) . What can you do to make the move easier?
How To Make Moving House Easier
If you search online for “moving house exhaustion,” you’ll discover that many others feel the same way you do. Yes, moving house is exhausting; but the process of moving can go a lot smoother if you take a step back and break the move down into sizeable actions. Here are some steps to make the move easier:
- Throw out everything you don’t need: Way before the packing begins, go through each room and purge. Buy trash bags and throw out everything you won’t need and won’t ever use. You can choose to donate items, sell them or simply toss them. You’ll be surprised by how much this reduces your belongings into pure essentials.
- Utilities: Let the internet, gas, electricity, water and other utility companies know when they need to turn off their services. In addition, you’ll have to find out the phone numbers of all utilities at your new house because those must be turned on. This is an important step. You don’t want to move and then realize there’s no hot water at your new house. There’s nothing worse than having to take a cold shower when you’re physically exhausted.
- Buy or collect packing materials: Organisation is key when moving. Buy boxes, brown packing tape, packing paper, bubble wrap for fragile items, plastic bags for bedding and permanent markers to label each box. Make sure to also have easy access to more boxes if you need them. Your boxes should come in different sizes, too, because you’ll be packing larger items like books as well as smaller items like stationary and screws.
- Pack room by room: With any large project, tackle it piece by piece. In the case of moving, categorising each room makes it manageable and less overwhelming. Devote a few days to one room. If the room is larger, spread the room over a week. Separate large items and small items. Then pack all items into labeled boxes.
- Keep essentials separate: If you have essential items that you don’t want buried at the bottom of boxes, keep those in a small box that you have access to. In fact, essentials should always be within reach. Essentials can include any house documents that you’ll need to pull up within minutes: contracts, phone numbers for the utility companies and so on.
- Leave the kitchen and bathroom for last: During the move, you’ll need to take showers and use the toilet. You’ll also need to eat, drink and do some light cooking. Pack away things you won’t be using daily but leave some cutlery, plates, toilet paper and paper towels for last.
- Hire movers: You’ll probably need help in the final stages of your move. This is where movers come in. Movers can load all your heavy items into a truck, drive them to the new location and unload them into your house without damaging your belongings. If you select a moving company well, movers can help make your move a little less stressful.
Take a Moment to Breathe
In the midst of moving, take a break. Moving house is exhausting and if you don’t let your body and mind breathe for a day or two, you can easily suffer from physical or mental exhaustion. More than that, a big change is happening in your life and you need to process it. Here are some things you can do to help with the stress and physical exhaustion of moving:
- Take a day off to recollect your thoughts, to revisit your moving checklist and to say goodbye to your old house. Playing with family in the outdoors or having dinner in a restaurant can help prepare yourself for the rest of the move, for example. Talk with your family about how this move will affect their lives. Let everyone share their fears and concerns.
- If you can put some time in for yoga or meditation, do so. Even an hour a day away from your busy packing schedule can calm your mind and help you digest the changes that will be taking place.
- Pack during the day and use lavender oil in your bath and shower to calm you at night. Lavender can help alleviate stress and insomnia.
- To further relax you, have a cup of chamomile tea before bed. Your mind may be still be going a mile a minute and you’ll need something soothing for your nerves.
Moving is exhausting. It always will be. But it can be easier if you follow a simple checklist:
- Purge and get rid of what you don’t need
- Take care of all utilities
- Gather packing materials
- Pack room by room
- Hire movers