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Moving to a new location can be exhilarating for some people, but it can be overwhelming for others. Even if you are generally a pretty positive person, you may still feel intense stress before and during your next big move, and there are many reasons it can happen. You may feel anxiety over a new job, an unfamiliar location, and culture, or an unfamiliar home layout. And moving can be expensive. You will need money for a new apartment or home and cover the cost of moving into your new home.
Even the process of moving can bring stress. Planning and packing take time away from much-needed relaxing time after work. At the same time, it is physically tiring.
These issues can lead to mental and physical stress, but even though this may be a challenging time in your life, this time also opens doors to new aspects like new friends and opportunities. Remembering this while managing your stress will help you reach your next phase of life. And there are many other tricks you can adopt too.In this article, we review common symptoms of moving stress and ways you can minimize them.
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Signs of Excessive Stress when Moving Out of a Home or Apartment
Some common symptoms of stress can occur when moving. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, don’t wait. Take action to manage your stress.
Here are some popular symptoms of stress and ways to combat them.
Emotional Symptoms of Stress when Moving
Emotional stress is a biggie. Moving to an unfamiliar area can make you feel anxious and insecure. You may also feel like you are not in control of your life and that everything is happening too quickly. You may find it hard to relax, become easily overwhelmed, and be quick to anger. You may even feel grief when leaving your old home or apartment- especially if you have lived in your home for a long time or if you leave a childhood home filled with memories. And all these feelings are amplified if you are moving away from friends and family.
Behavioral Symptoms of Depression
Stress can alter your behavior in ways you may not immediately recognize. The risk of depression increases with stress, so keep an eye out for any of these common symptoms:
- A loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
- Extended sleep, such as more than 10 hours a day
- Not feeling like yourself
- Having suicidal thoughts
- A desire to drink, smoke, take drugs, or overeat
- Avoiding responsibility
Physical Symptoms of Stress: Chest Pain and Other Common Symptoms
If you don’t deal with stress appropriately, it can manifest into physiological problems that can be dangerous to your health. Look for issues like:
- Chest pain
- Other aches and pains
- Rapid heart rate
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Upset stomach or vomiting
- Low energy
- Increases in sickness or infection
- Shaking
Cognitive Symptoms of Stress: Memory Issues
Stress can lead to common memory difficulties like retaining new information or maintaining autobiographical memory. You may notice cognitive issues while working and while interacting with your friends and family or doing things around the house. Look for issues like:
- Difficulty focusing
- A loss of perception of time
- Lack of organization
- Forgetfulness
- A less positive attitude
- Impaired judgment
- Constant worrying
Poor Sleep and Insomnia can Lead to Mental Health Issues
Sleep issues may seem like a minor problem at first, but sleep issues need to be addressed early because rest is vital to your health. A lack of sleep might lead to mental health issues, making it harder to control moods and emotions. Mechanical, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms can also flare up due to insomnia, predisposing you to mental health problems and worsening any current mental health conditions. Plus, sleeping provides you with the energy needed to keep up with your job and manage your move.
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How to Combat the Stress of Moving
Having any of the above issues may feel overwhelming, but they can be tackled one by one by following some easy steps.
Firstly, Understand that Stress is Normal
It is important to remember that stress is a natural reaction to change. As in other aspects of your life outside of moving, stress isn’t always avoidable. Accepting it as a normal part of life can help to minimize its effects.
Acceptance may not be easy at first. We often feel that circumstances are within our control and if stress pops up, we should be able to ignore them or deal with them. But the sooner you realize that stress is simply a part of life, the more you will be able to accept it. This helps distance you from it and from being at the mercy of stressful feelings. They are only feelings that will pass, and they don’t have to control your life.
Approaching stress and anxiety in this way helps reduce their intensity. Add it to your bag of tricks as you take other actions to combat stress.
Recognize Symptoms of Stress and Take Action
If you are feeling any of the symptoms of stress, don’t wait. Take action. Acknowledge you are going through a tough time and seek help by talking to friends and family.
See a Clinical Psychologist for Mental Health Issues
Talking about your feelings with friends and family may be too hard or uncomfortable on your own, and stress can lead to complex feelings that are hard to define. A clinical psychologist is trained to help with a wide range of mental health difficulties. They provide a safe space to discuss issues and know how to get to the root of stress issues and give you the support you need. Seeing a professional is a particularly powerful strategy for dealing with any stress and mental health issues as they arise.
Get Medical Advice
If your physical symptoms persist or get worse, seek medical advice. Stress can often lead to serious physical conditions like heart disease, asthma, obesity, body injuries, and gastrointestinal problems. A doctor can provide medical treatment to minimize or prevent dangerous health issues as you seek help from a clinical psychologist.
Adopt Sleep Techniques
If you have insomnia, a psychologist, mental health counselor, or sleep specialist can assist you in developing coping mechanisms and offer support. They may offer proven sleep interventions, such as stimulus control therapy, strict sleep routines, cognitive restructuring, and even paradoxical intention therapy.
Learn Relaxation Techniques to Reduce Stress
There are many relaxation strategies for combating stress and improving relaxation, such as meditation, yoga, and mindfulness. These practices relax your body and mind, making it easier to handle surrounding stresses as they come up.
Stress can cause you to reach a breaking point physically and mentally. Ongoing mental exercises help you reduce stress to keep them at a normal, more manageable level to put you back in control of your life.
Remember that a New Location Brings Benefits!
Although moving can be stressful, it exposes you to new people and environments you didn’t have in your prior life. You can enjoy new experiences and ways of thinking and explore new places, all of which can all positively add to your life.
Do you love to snow ski but your current home is in Florida? Do you enjoy museums but have them in short supply in your current city? Do you enjoy people but live in a small town? Do you just need a clean slate? Think of everything you want and how this new location will make it a reality.
Say Goodbye to Your Old Life and Hello to Creating New Memories
When moving, it is normal to feel sentimental about the past; however, saying goodbye to your old life and hello to new memories puts your new life in a more positive framework. Make a list of all the good things that came from your old life and then build a list of new experiences you hope to gain from your new life. Stressful events are also attached to growth, and that’s a positive thing. See this time as an opportunity to bring more fun in your everyday life and create a more comfortable life through new work opportunities or home experiences. Focusing on the positives will alleviate many of the negative emotions you are feeling.
How to Help Your Child Control Stress
You may have other members of the family moving with you, and they may be experiencing the same issues. Children often have difficulty moving to new locations, so pay attention to your child’s behavior. If they aren’t acting like their typical selves, they may be experiencing underlying stress.
Many of the strategies listed above can be used for treating stress in children. Here are some additional ways to help your child deal with stress.
- Encourage your child to talk to you and voice their feelings. If they have trouble, you can also enlist the help of a professional specializing in children’s health.
- Help them develop a relaxation technique. Yes, even meditation can work for children. Many elementary schools even use it.
- Help them see moving as fun. This is a chance for your child to build a new and exciting life story. It is a time of new possibilities.
- Reduce surrounding negativity from family, friends, and the media. Moving can be a difficult time for children, but when your child faces additional issues around the edges, it just makes stressful situations worse.
- Reduce exposures to violence or other harmful images.
Give Yourself Plenty of Time to Pack Essential Items and Make Travel Plans
If possible, give yourself plenty of time to pack your essentials and make travel plans. You will be surprised how well this strategy reduces the stress you experience leading up to the move. As professional movers, we at Bellhop suggest starting 60 days out for the smoothest moving experience.
Bellhop is Here to Ease the Stress of Moving
A significant amount of stress from moving comes from planning and doing the move, but there are ways to minimize the stress of moving with full or partial moving assistance. A moving company offering a range of service options helps you manage the cost and work required in your move. Plus, a mover with in-depth experience can help you move more efficiently and stress-free.
Bellhop has professional experience in conducting full-service moves across the country, but that’s not all we do. We offer varying levels of service to fit your exact needs. We can help you with just a moving truck and packing materials or if you need a few extra hands while you move. If you need white glove moving, we offer that too. We designed our business to fit your exact needs.
Our in-depth experience also works to your advantage. We know the best strategies for moving and have compiled an in-depth, chronological list of moving steps that covers everything you should do before, during, and after a move. We go beyond the simple packing process by including items such as when to notify your current landlord when to cancel and schedule new utilities. We also cover steps people don’t often think about, like how far out you should plan your move and when to inform your job and your children’s schools.Our handy guide declutters your mind from the wealth of moving questions and considerations that come up during a move, and we put all steps into an easy-to-use checklist with all items listed by importance. Our guide makes your life easy and makes your move is more enjoyable and even fun! We want to make your move easier so you can spend more time enjoying your new adventure.
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