How to Minimize Anxiety During a Move

As you may already know, moving is pretty much one of the most stressful things you can do in life. And when you already have anxiety, it becomes a whole different “beast”. If you want to minimize anxiety during a move, you are going to need to work a bit harder than usual. You will also want to enlist help from one of the best moving companies in your area, as well as help from friends and family members. Lastly, it is important to understand the trials you’re about to face and figure out a way to deal with them. But don’t worry, this article will guide you throughout the entire process!

How are moving and anxiety connected?

When you think about how the three main stressors are finances, safety, and health, it is clear why moving is so stressful. Furthermore, moving to a new home will bring forth the fear of the unknown. Even people without anxiety will find relocation a very difficult prospect. This is because of the fact that moving requires us to step outside of our comfort zone.

People that are suffering from anxiety often create their own comfort zone as a way of coping. And once that zone needs to be all but demolished, things can become very difficult indeed. Even though you may improve your quality of life by moving, you may find that worrying about the move is a much more pressing matter. It is easy to say “Just don’t think about it” but whoever says that has never had to deal with anxiety. The problem is that moving all but forces you to think about a million little things. And when you start stressing over each one, you may need some help to deal with it all.

Luckily, you have ample ways of minimizing anxiety during a move. The fact of the matter is that you can’t completely curb anxiety but you can bring it to a manageable level.

6 ways to minimize anxiety during a move

It is important to note that these ways of minimizing anxiety during a move are not 100% guaranteed to work for everyone. We are all unique, after all. That being said, these ways were proven time and time again to help with anxious feelings throughout the moving process. The best thing you can do is to try them all out and then modify them to your own personal preferences. With that in mind, here are the best ways to minimize anxiety during a move:

1. To-do list
2. Support system
3. Saying proper goodbyes
4. Mindful meditation
5. Reward system
6. Maintaining daily routine

You may also want to make the entire relocation as easy as possible. For example, you may want to look into a few of the moving hacks that will make your relocation easier, or simply delegate the entire moving process to your moving company of choice. Yes, it may cost a bit more if you opt for the latter but it will minimize the relocation stress. Now, let’s take a more in-depth look at how you can manage your anxiety throughout the moving process.

Creating a to-do list is essential if you want to minimize anxiety during a move

There are great reasons why a moving checklist is an integral part of every relocation process. A relocation includes taking care of just about a million small tasks, tasks that you might completely forget about if they were not written down. Incidentally, it is these tasks that will trigger your anxiety the most.

That is why you will want to create a customized version(s) of the moving checklist. We will call them “To-do” lists. Let’s say that you are planning a nationwide family relocation. Normally, you would simply write down all the tasks that you need to accomplish and start working on them one by one. But this is not the best thing to do when you have anxiety, as the sheer number of tasks may induce additional stress.

Instead, what you want to do is focus on a few tasks at a time and thoroughly organize them. It is very important that you start as early as possible, as the added organization might require a larger time investment. However, by allowing yourself the time to properly organize, you may feel much more “in control”, as you will be dealing with one task at a time.

One checklist vs. multiple checklists

Not everyone will benefit from making several moving checklists. For some, simply writing all of the tasks down might significantly help with their anxiety. The most important thing is that you focus your mind on organizing. If you see that you don’t have an issue with one large checklist, that’s great. But if you start feeling anxious while making the list, you may want to stop and focus on the tasks that are already there. The important thing is to stay on top of your move without introducing additional stressors and tackling the mental challenges of moving as they come.

The most important thing is that you have a plan. Whether you need one checklist or several, it does not matter. Whatever works for you is what you should be using.

Having a good support system is crucial

The fact of the matter is that moving with anxiety is incredibly difficult. There’s no way around that. You are going to have problems and stress will pile up. By understanding that, you can work on creating ways of managing that stress. One of the best ways to do so is to confide in someone about your feelings, vent about your moving stress, and ask for advice.

That is why you need to make sure that you have someone to help you throughout this period. Have them understand your needs and what you need them to do. Having a single person to that you can vent (with their consent) can be exactly what you need to keep your anxiety in check. If you are taking on the risks of moving by yourself, all those “bottled” feelings may come back to bite you in the rear.

Furthermore, you may want to surround yourself with positive, humorous, people. Laughter and optimism are incredibly helpful during a stressful period, after all. Also, while this may be easier said than done, you will want to avoid any negative self-talk throughout the process.

Saying proper goodbyes can help with anxiety

Having to move from your comfortable, cozy, home is one of the most difficult things you will have to do. You may find that you are simply unwilling to “let go” of your own home, at least in your mind. That is why saying a proper goodbye is so important. Depending on your personality, you may want to host a goodbye party, create memories to take with you, journal/draw about the transition, etc.

You may also want to take some things from your home and find them a place in your new home. Just because you are leaving your old home doesn’t mean that you have to leave all the memories behind as well. While you may not want to take an entire door with you, you can take a part of the doorframe with height markers, for example.

Practicing mindful meditation is one of the best ways to minimize anxiety during a move

Mindful meditation is one of the best tools you have in your “anti-anxiety” arsenal. It is extremely simple to do but very challenging in the beginning. What you want to do is find a comfortable position, focus your attention inward, close your eyes, and simply breathe. Focus on your breath without trying to change it and try not to think about anything else. When your thoughts inevitably wander, refocus on your breathing.

You may find that, initially, your feelings of anxiety may even increase, and wonder whether you are doing it right. This is all perfectly normal and you just need to wait for those thoughts to pass and refocus on your breath. After some time practicing mindful meditation, you will find that you are less anxious overall.

Creating a reward system will help

Anxiety is usually all about the bad things that might happen. That is why you might need something to counteract this. What you want to do is make a reward system for yourself and treat yourself after a job well done. The more you think about the desired reward at the end of the task, the less you think about negative outcomes. Include these rewards in planning your long distance moving process as well, as you might need to balance your time and finances.

Maintaining your daily routine throughout the process

A sudden, overwhelming, change is incredibly difficult to deal with when you also have to deal with anxiety. That is why you need to try and maintain as much as you can of your normal daily routine. Try not to overly fuss about this, though, as some concessions will have to be made. You also need to understand which activities need to change before you create your daily plans and minimize anxiety during a move.

Finding out more information on the moving process, the best moving companies, and the intricacies of moving can also help curb your anxiety. You can find all the information right here at Consumer Opinion Guide! Our expert articles will help you make the most out of your relocation!