Top 7 Tips to Stay Stress Free During a Move

It does not matter if you are moving the contents of a studio apartment a mile away or planning a long distance move for a large family; you can get through it without feeling consumed by stress!

The words “stress-free” and “move” have no right being in the same sentence, or do they? Moving is just one of those major life events where you expect to be stressed. Why fight it, right? It doesn’t have to be this way!

1. Create a Checklist and Timeline – The constant thought of worrying what you need to do next and always feeling like you have forgotten something are two of the main contributors to move-related stress. Create a checklist of everything you need to do and mark tasks off as they are complete. Don’t know where to start? Download a copy of our Moving Checklist here! This way, you will be certain nothing gets forgotten. It is also a good idea to create a separate timeline or incorporate it with the checklist to help keep you on track.

2. Hire Movers Early – Hiring a Houston moving company is not something that should be decided at the last minute. Give yourself time to look into the movers you are thinking about hiring and schedule the day as far in advance as possible. This ensures you don’t end up in a situation where the residential movers you wanted are completely booked.

3. Pack Early – Nothing leads to a typhoon of stress quite like realizing your move is three days away and you haven’t started packing. As soon as you decide you are moving, pack a box or two every day. Of course, you can always make it even easier by hiring professional packers.

4. Plan to Have Cash – You don’t want to be in a situation where your movers are just finishing up and you realize you don’t have any cash to tip them. Not to mention, when the ice-cream truck drives down the road, you’ll need some cash available for the kids (and you).

5. Exercise – Okay, you are probably saying that you barely have time to pack, so exercising is out of the question until after the move. Well, you need to squeeze it in. Exercise is proven to relieve stress. Your body releases endorphins during physical activity that act like natural painkillers. Even a short walk in the fresh air will help.

6. Plan Your Meals – Unless you are moving close enough where you can toss perishables in a cooler to move, you are going to want to use up what’s in your fridge and freezer. Plan your meals for the two weeks leading up to moving day. This way, you know exactly what you need from the store. It is a good idea to make dishes that will have leftovers, so you don’t have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

7. Find a Place for Kids and Pets – Children and pets have a way of making a move so much more stressful. Even if they are well-behaved, the constant stress of making sure they are not in the way and that they are okay can become overwhelming. If possible, find a place where they can go for the day. If this is not an option, plan ahead to make sure they have things to keep them busy.