We often talk about moving as an exciting time in a family’s life — a new neighbourhood, new neighbours and of course, a new home. But the truth is, it can be a somewhat stressful time for families as well. From having to make new friends and leaving old ones behind to the need to complete home improvement and even learn how to get to work again, these are all things that can turn this exciting time in a family’s life into a stressful one. But as a Cambridge moving company, we’re dedicated to making every family’s move as comfortable as possible. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of tips we find to be successful when trying to minimize or deal with the stress of moving. Check them out below!
Start Early
The first key to minimizing the stress caused by moving is to start packing early. The day you decide to look for a new home is the day you should start preparing for your move. At this stage, this can mean mentally preparing, getting rid of items you haven’t touched in months and even beginning to gather moving supplies (boxes, tape, labels, markers, etc.). Doing these simple tasks is a great way to get a jump start on your entire move and preparing yourself for what’s to come. And once you know that your move is indeed happening, that’s when we recommend you get started packing. Packing tends to take longer than many people think and so by starting early, you ensure things get packed carefully and adequately.
Stay Organized
This tip goes hand in hand with the one above. This is because we often find that families who wait too long to start packing tend to be less organized than families that start early. Some of the ways you can keep your move organized are:
- Create a packing schedule. This will make sure you leave yourself enough time to get all packed up and is also a great way to make the task feel more manageable.
- Label everything. This not only means labelling what’s in every box but also where they’re going when you’re unpacking the truck on moving day.
- Colour Coordinate. Another way to label your boxes is to assign a colour to every room in your new home and mark each box with the appropriate colour. This makes unpacking quick and easy.
- Take Breaks. It’s easy to get tired or overwhelmed when packing up your entire home. That’s why we suggest schedule breaks when you create your schedule. That way you’re not spending every spare minute packing, but rather packing and relaxing when you need to be.
Don’t Put Off Your “Goodbyes”
For many families moving to a new city, province or even country, “goodbyes” are a big part of their move. And one that can add quite a bit of stress to the entire process. For those families, we suggest beginning your “goodbyes” as soon as you know you’re moving. This will help you ease through the process and ensure you have enough time to speak with all your friends and family. We’re not saying they’re going to be easy, but by spreading them out over weeks or months, you can eliminate the overwhelming feeling that you might feel if you leave them all until the end. And remember, they are, and always will be, your friends and family. So treat as a “see you later” rather than a “farewell”.
Unpack Quickly
After spending months packing up all your belongings and an entire day unpacking the truck, it’s easy to feel tired and rundown. You may want to put off unpacking all your boxes. Don’t! We know it can be tempting, but the faster you can get unpacked, the quicker you can settle into your new home. From exploring your new neighbourhood and meeting your new neighbours to finally feeling like you know where everything is in your home, these are things that can go a long way to eliminate stress caused by your move.
Hire a Professional
Our final tip for dealing with the stress of a move is to hire a professional. While you might be more than capable enough to handle the move yourself, a professional mover can give you one less thing to worry about. You can rest assured knowing you’ll have enough helping hands to move any piece of furniture, enough truck space for all your belongings and that all your things will make it to your new home in one piece. Many professional movers, like ourselves, also offer packing services where we will come to your home and pack up all your belongings for you. The cost of a professional mover is a small price to pay if it helps you reduce your stress level and gives you more time to focus on friends and family.
Those are just five of the tips that we find most useful when it comes to dealing with the stress of a move. It’s normal for families to feel excited and stressed when thinking about their move, but it’s being able to deal with these feelings that will ultimately make your move as enjoyable as possible. And as we mentioned above, we’re dedicated to making your move as quick and easy as possible, so if you have any questions regarding anything discussed above or about an upcoming move, we encourage you to reach out to us by phone, email or even on Facebook.
Happy moving!