Moving house is known to be one of the most stressful events that you will go through. It is highly ranked, above a new job and in some cases, divorce. This is because of many moving parts that can make it extremely taxing and complicated. From the legal process of moving house to its psychological toll, there are many overlapping factors that can influence the level of stress that you experience. Not calling in Happy2move to help you move, for example, is a mistake easily avoided. You want to make sure that this particular upheaval in life still feels relatively stress free and that means making a point of calling the experts to help.
Firstly, a factor that makes it stressful that isn’t often acknowledged, is the disruption of the deep emotional bond that you may have formed with your current home. Whether you still live with your parents, rent a little flat, or have your own house, it is your home. It is where you should feel safe and secure, and it forms part of your identity. Regardless of how you might feel on the surface, there is a familiarity about your current home in your brain and body, which can trigger deep feelings of grief or loss for some people, especially if you have a form of attachment or sentimental meaning to your existing home.
The brain craves familiarity and routine, which is going to change not only when you move house but also as you embark on the journey of moving itself. All of your existing routines and familiarity are going to disappear. This can put you in a state of survival mode, where your nervous system is activated.
Moving house comes with a lot of legal components and big, important decisions that need to be made. This can lead to decision fatigue kicking in and a huge cognitive load, which can be mentally exhausting and lead to maxing out your capacity quickly. With this, major life changes, financial shifts, logistics, overall anxiety, and stress can be amplified as they compound.
There is a long checklist of things to do on this journey, but it is also important to consider the other side of the coin and learn from what has gone wrong. If you can understand the common mistakes that people make that lead to increasing stress and anxiety on an already challenging journey, you can be proactive and take steps to avoid them. This can help make it a smoother journey for you and your family.
To help you on your journey, here are some of the most common mistakes that people make when it comes to moving house and what you can do to avoid them.
#1 Waiting until the last minute to plan
If you like to go with the flow, or your schedule is just too busy to plan your house move, then you are making a big mistake. It is really important that you time your house move when you don’t have too much going on in your personal life, so you can dedicate some time to planning. Many moves will have unnecessary added stress just because there was no plan. At least two months in advance is a good time to start making plans and thinking about the logistics of moving. You can make your own, custom list of things you need to do and when. This will give you a timeline of things to work towards and spread them out accordingly, rather than having everything to do on the day.
#2 Not having a clear out before packing
Regardless of where you live now, it is likely that over time, you have accumulated a lot of belongings. If you don’t think about this and then attempt to pack up when it comes to moving day, you could be making it a lot more stressful for yourself. It is a good idea to put some time aside before you move to declutter your home. This can help you throw out, donate, or give away any items that you don’t want and hire storage rooms for the items that you want to keep but don’t want to take to the new house, rather than trying to do this on moving day, which will add a lot of time and stress. You will then have a lot less to pack up, and you will only be moving what you actually want and need into your new home.
#3 Not measuring furniture and entryways
Furniture and entryways can vary by house. It is a huge mistake to just assume that your belongings are going to easily move into your new home. If possible, you should schedule another viewing at the property so you can measure the doors and walkways. This will reduce a lot of stress on the day and the risk of not being able to get your furniture in and being stuck with it outside. This can give you peace of mind and time to make other arrangements for furniture in the unfortunate event it does not fit.
#4 Booking movers too late
Most people use a moving company, like W Removals, to help them on the day. This is because they come with all the equipment that you will need to move all sizes and types of items, and they have the skills to be efficient about it. However, if you don’t plan and book them in advance, you may struggle to hire them at the last minute, which means you will have to find alternative arrangements. This might be hiring a van yourself, and you will have to load everything in and out with the help of friends and family. This is important to consider, especially if you are moving house when the housing market is at its peak.
Moving house is one of the most stressful things that you and your family are going to encounter in your life. It is therefore vital that you consider everything you need to do and make a plan. You should then consider things that are unnecessary or things that are going to make the process worse, so you can take proactive action to remove the barriers and stress. Follow these top mistakes to help you and your family.
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