Moving is one of the most stressful situations in life, alongside marriage, the death of a family member and loss of a job.
Is it more than you that’s moving? Are you moving your family across the country? Are you tasked with stress management for your moving process?
Moving is a challenge for adults but could have a large effect on children. They could leave good friends behind and other people that they trust, having to establish new relationships.
Let’s take a look at a few ways you can reduce your situational stress.
Have the Right Attitude
Having the right attitude about moving is step number one in reducing your overall stress. This move may be because of outside situations and you may not want to. Alternatively, this move could be your choice and an exciting time in your life. Either way, moving to a new place has its pros and cons.
You’ll have to meet new people, make new friends and learn a new place. For a little one, the “unknown” is a scary thing. Not knowing if you’re going to make new friends or like the life you’re going to build can be overwhelming.
Viewing the situation with positive eyes can help you make the best of it. If you view it as a fresh start with an attitude of hope and gratitude, you can reduce the stress. Embrace your situation with open arms and make new memories.
Talk About It Openly
This may mean sitting down with your whole family and explaining to your kids the honest reasons why you are moving. Let them know it’s important for them to share their fears and excitements relating with moving your family. Address their concerns and ensure them you are all in this together.
Having a simple conversation can help put your child at ease. You can share with them what opportunities of activities they will have. You can describe the detail of the location so they aren’t going into the move blind.
You may have to do some research on your new home. Find the areas that you will enjoy or areas you may want to avoid. Discover new restaurants, malls and know where your children will go to school.
After researching what is in your new town, find groups to join that will lift you up and excite you. Seek out new experiences on your own. Instead of waiting for people to come to you, join activities to meet new people.
Planning and Packing
One of the ways you can reduce stress in moving your family is by planning. Moving your entire household is not one of those things you should procrastinate. Having one or two days to pack your whole house and your family is not possible.
The farther you can plan ahead, the less stress involved. Think about your child helping to gather their things instead of you forcing them to put their things in boxes. Taking it one piece at a time will help the process be much smoother.
If you can, start packing a few weeks prior to moving. You can place empty boxes in each room and fill one box from each room a day to start making great progress. Pack boxes of things you don’t need that are in storage or seasonal items.
Ask people for help. The more people you have to help you, the better. Friends and family generally will help if you ask.
Emotional Care
Moving can often feel sad if done against your liking. If you’re leaving friends or family and a good emotional support system, it can often feel like a death has occurred or a divorce has happened. People experience grief along with a move.
If you are experiencing feelings like this, it is necessary to acknowledge your them. Let yourself cry if you want to cry. Talk to others around you about your feelings and lean on your support system.
Moving your family can be difficult if you feel you are leaving everything behind, but it could be a really great bonding event for your family. Lean on each other for care and help.
Allow yourself time for self-care. Go get a massage if you can or put on a soothing aromatherapy candle. Anything you can do to let yourself get a fresh breath of air will help you keep stress at bay.
Keep in Touch After Moving Your Family
You don’t have to say goodbye to your friends forever just because you’re moving your family. While it may be challenging to say goodbye, make it a point to schedule a time in the future to see them.
People always want to stay in touch, but rarely ever follow through after your new life sets in. Things get going in your new place and you eventually just forget about it.
Make plans with your friends before you leave. Schedule a date in your physical calendar and details about what you’re going to do. If it’s already scheduled, you won’t schedule over it and double book yourself.
You’re more likely to follow through if it’s scheduled already and will appreciate getting to catch up with old friends after you’ve been in your new place for a while.
Introducing Yourself to New Neighbors
When you move into a new neighborhood, your neighbors are going to become an important part of your life. This could be in a negative way or a positive way. Making a good first impression may help you get along better with your neighbors in the future.
Your neighbors could become the people you rely on most. You may need someone to watch your house on vacation or take your dog out. You may just want to have a new friend.
Your new neighbors will appreciate you reaching out to them, will see it as a nice gesture and are likely to return the favor in the future.
Moving your family is a challenging feat but your family can come out of it stronger and braver. Following the above tips are sure to help reduce your stress in the moving process and make it a positive experience for everyone. If you don’t have friends or family in the area and are looking for help, please reach out to us.
