The process of moving is very emotional, even if your move is a positive one. It’s emotional on a number of different levels. Firstly, from a nostalgia perspective; simply going through your belongings can bring up a lot of emotions about the past, present, and future. Second, from the social perspective of leaving behind your neighborhood and friends, especially for those moving across state lines. Third, from the stress perspective of organizing your move and disconnecting your utilities, this is time-consuming, demanding, and frustrating.
The truth is that even if you have moved around a lot during your life, you cannot escape some of these emotions, and taking care of your mental health is a priority, which is why Shyft has put together some self-care tips that will make this move easier and less stressful.
As you probably already know, the better you plan your move, the less stressful it is. However, you can tackle the process of planning from the start to ensure that it doesn’t cause additional anxiety
Let’s expand: as you know your moving process should start a few weeks before the moving day, and every morning you should wake up with a daily schedule in mind. This is a good idea as many people, even experienced nomads, cannot jump into action straight away. This means that your daily moving plan should begin with a morning of re-energizing and getting yourself mentally prepared. It will make the process of moving a lot more fluid with self-care tips during a house move.
More importantly, throughout the entire process of planning your move, make room for breaks. This is the time you can take to decompress from the process, but more importantly, scheduled breaks create natural guidelines and essentially deadlines in each day of planning. Breaks reduce stress: A scheduled break is a chance for you to catch your breath and clear your mind. Also keep your moving list handy, because when your mind is clear, you’ll also get clarity on additional things that need to get done.
You can use this break time for simple things like taking a walk, reading a book, or catching a show. Anything to briefly escape the moving process. You cannot go from task to task with the same amount of focus and energy day after day. No one can. Therefore, doing a bit of exercise can help you out while you are on rest. This is not about hitting the gym hard-core and bulking up but simply taking a walk or a little jog.
Eating healthy and balanced meals is imperative to ensure that you maintain energy levels during the planning and moving process. While this may seem obvious, the reality is that you’ll also have to consider all the items in your fridge and pantry that need to be consumed before your move. To avoid waste, plan your meals to include the ingredients that you already have. The last thing you want to happen is to eat too much of the wrong thing and experience short-term energy spikes, and crashes.
The best thing to do is make meals ahead of time so that you do not have to spend a lot of it in the kitchen. These can just be healthy items such as a salad or something that you can heat up quickly. These can be great for later down the line when the moving day draws a lot closer.
Another aspect of the move that people don’t consider very often is sleep. Sleep not only recharges you, but it can also improve your mood. Plans can change, so you need to be up to the task to go with the flow. This is best achieved with a clear head, as well as a lot of energy.
When you’re stressed, your brain is in overdrive, which often leads to insomnia and lack of sleep. Therefore, it’s important to unwind your mind by meditating, doing light stretching exercises before bed, and staying away from any screens at least an hour before bed. It’s also a good idea to stop all activities related to your move before dinner, so you can take stock of what has been done, and the new tasks that need to be handled.
Releasing stress is imperative - and doing it consciously will help you manage through the process. Here are several tips for decompressing - they may seem obvious, but as with the rest of this guide, planning them will ensure that you are prioritizing mental health and well-being above all else.
One of the best ways to decompress and release any mental tension is by journaling. It will help you acknowledge and compartmentalize stressful situations by writing down your feelings, moods, and ideas. You can go into as much or as little detail as you see fit. Plus, you do not have to do it every day, just when you feel a need to.
Another way to release your anxiety is by talking about the things that are stressing you out with people who are completely unrelated to your moving situation. You can discuss the process of your relocation, your feelings about moving to a new city or place, and even feelings of joy or depression you may have about moving away from the people that you know. You can speak to your friends, family or caregivers. A little chat can go a long way to destress you while helping you get your head back in the game.
You can ask your friends, and family to help you with the moving process. They can aid you in planning, and even packing, or just keep you company through the process. They can help with other elements of the move, such as eating your food so that it does not go to waste. Friends don’t mind helping friends out in general. What is not recommended, however, is that you ask your friends to help with the heavy lifting. The best thing to do is hire a professional moving company who can also help with the packing of your items.
As a little reminder, professional movers have the right packing material to make sure that your belongings are transported safely from one place to another. And, they can also lift heavy objects into their secure trucks for you. As well as offload in your new home. It’s worthwhile doing the research on moving companies to ensure that they are accredited so that you know your belongings are safe. Keep in mind that there are, unfortunately, a lot of scam moving companies out there, so do your due diligence to be on the safe side.
If you want to save the estimated 60+ hours it takes to research and communicate with moving companies, you can always use Shyft, as all the work in terms of communicating with movers and getting accurate quotes is done by Shyft.
Keep yourself motivated by planning a massage or relaxing spa day after you have made the move. This will be something to look forward to. Moving can take a lot out of people emotionally, physically, and mentally even if you have created the best moving plan to follow including breaks, healthy meals, and well-structured sleep patterns. Rewards are important for motivation.
Take some time after you have unpacked in your new home for a spa day. This can be a self-made one in your new home with lit candles, soft music, and a bath that smells unbelievably good for you to soak into. Epsom salt is said to do wonders for muscles after the whole process of moving.
Or you can go to a relaxing spa where everyone is there to set everything up for you. Either way, a spa is a great way to relax your body letting your mind release the little bits of stress that it holds due to the move. Water is magic when it comes to post-moving day relaxation.
One of the best ways to aid with your moving self-care is by letting someone else handle the organization of your relocation. And, what better company to work with than Shyft which is an organizing company for moving. Shyft is a tech-driven moving marketplace with a huge network of moving companies that are independently verified. Contact by going to the AARP Moving Services powered by Shyft. Just complete a short form or give Shyft a call on the 1-888 number.
From there Shyft will contact you at a time that suits your schedule as well as when you are ready for the meeting with your dedicated Shyft Move Coach. Your Shyft Move Coach, as the name implies, is there to aid you with your moving process all while decreasing your stress to improve your self-care routine. Furthermore, your Move Coach will get to work straight away even from the very first meeting. This meeting is done through a video call with the free to download app known as ShyftNext.
It is during this initial video chat with your dedicated Shyft Move Coach that they will create your inventory list for all the items that you want to move, as well as confirm your moving details. When this call is finished your newly created inventory list is sent your way for confirmation. Your inventory list, along with your moving details (with your personal information redacted) will be posted on Shyft’s secure bidding platform. Licensed, experienced, and qualified moving companies will bid on moving projects, yours included. This process helps drive down costs and ensures that you are paired with a moving company that can meet your unique needs.
Shyft will present you with multiple pricing options, which are locked in once you book your move. This means that there are no hidden costs to catch you off guard adding to a healthy self-care image. The quotes are sent to you so that you can choose which mover to work with as well as see what they have to offer you.
Throughout your whole moving process with Shyft, you can contact your Move Coach 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Yes, that does include evenings, nights, and weekends.
So, let Shyft aid you in your move so that you can get to your post-move spa day a lot sooner.
