As I start packing my first box with my winter clothes to get ready for my imminent move, I wonder why I get that feeling of emptiness and dread in the pit of my stomach. I’m actually one of those people who loves change and having moved every 2 to 4 years throughout most of life, I should be more than fine. But every time, I still get that feeling… it’s never stopped me but I just try to manage it.
During my last move from Bangkok, my housemate’s dog would do this thing of sitting in the suitcase to try to stop us from packing. She even managed to pull some things out of a bag to delay us. This happened every time either of us went travelling. It was very cute and slightly sad as well. Luckily this time round, my dogs just watch with curiosity and are just generally excited at watching an activity. I’m sure a cat would be judging my methods but the dogs just look on in admiration. At least someone does!
Procrastinating rather than Packing
I’ve just been walking round the house for about an hour achieving nothing and not knowing where to start packing for the move. And if you’re like me, packing is so tedious! So I just decided to start with what I thought would be easy – the downstairs cabinet cupboards where there are just a few papers that need organising. Hmmmm… so I’d forgotten that I hate filing too. I laughed at myself though as I found myself in the middle of a piles of paper scattered round the floor. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter if I get it right or not. At the last minute, I can just throw it all into the boxes … although of course, planning and trying to have enough time are helpful.
So why is it so stressful?
The first one for me are costs associated with a move. Then there is the fear of not finding a house that accommodates my dogs as many say no pets allowed. There is also the unknown …. Where am I going to find dog food, the supermarket, start driving again after 10 years … but there’s a great technique called reframing. This is essentially when you try to look at the situation from a different point of view. I might tell myself that it’s going to be so hard to somewhere to live or I could say that there is a great community where I’m moving to who will all be willing to help and advise. It isn’t easy and it does need you to remember to pause and rethink but it can be very powerful over time.
Other useful Tips:
- Those dreaded lists actually calm me down and make the task seem less ominous (and I’m not a list person)
- Break it down into sizable chunks
- Research – talking to people about the new place or connecting to people who already live there can be a huge help for positivity and generating excitement at discovering something new
- Try to remember why you are moving and what positives you can find – everything has pros and cons and just the attitude you bring to it will impact stress levels
- Meditate or breathing exercises – it’s obvious I know but this helps stay in the moment and avoid the mind getting lost in the ‘what ifs’ of the situation
