Everything you need to know to lower the stress factor when moving house

Even if it’s a much-anticipated move, the very idea of packing up your worldly possessions and transplanting your family to a new home is enough to cause most people’s blood pressure to spike and for very good reason – it’s rated as one of life’s most stressful activities and there is much that can go wrong.

And, over and above being a time-consuming, tedious process it’s also an emotionally fraught one as it’s never easy leaving a place where a multitude of memories were created, no matter the reason for the move.

However,with careful organisation and forward planning, it is possible to minimise the stress of the move for the whole family as well as ease the transition of moving into a new home.

The biggest mistake one can make is to leave everything until the last minute and it’s always best to get started as soon as you know for certain that you will be moving, even if the big day is still months away.

This will give you time to slowly begin to declutter and get rid of what you no longer need whilst getting a head start on packing up things you don’t often use.

Make comprehensive checklists and delegate jobs to everyone in the family. This will ensure that important things don’t get overlooked and minimises the chances of tempers being frayed and of people getting under each other’s feet, especially as moving day draws closer.

It’s also important to decide on an exact date as soon as possible and to confer with the new tenants or buyer so that they can plan their move and you can hopefully avoid moving at exactly the same time which is likely to result in chaos.

One month before:

1.Start cleaning out cupboards, discarding what you don’t need and packing non-essential items that you want to keeping;

2. Give notice to the relevant utility companies and notify your insurance and your security company of your impending move and the new home address;

3.Have valuable possessions assessed for insurance and check if your insurance policy will cover your move. If not, your removals company may be able to provide cover;

4. If you are moving to a new area, arrange for the transfer of your children’s school records to their new school and order new uniforms;

5. a ‘moving file’ to safekeep all the documents relating to your move, including checklists, quotes and receipts.

Two weeks before:

1. Only restock on essential foodstuffs and start to run down freezer foods and other perishables;

2. Confirm and finalise details such as times, parking and directions with the removals company;

3. Place all important items and documents like jewellery passports in a secure place for safe keeping;

4. Notify the post office your new address and arrange mail redirection service;

The day before:

1. Gather all of the ‘must-have’ items you’ll need upon arrival at your new home so you don’t have to spend hours searching for them after an exhausting day. These include: the kettle, coffee and tea, breakfast supplies, essential medication, phone chargers and the kid’s favourite toys;

2. Pack clean bed linen and towels separately and mark the box clearly so that beds can be made up when you arrive and everyone can have a shower after a long day;

3. Prepare a snack hamper of favourite goodies for the family and pets as everyone is bound to be starving after the move.

On the day:

1. Record the meter readings for water and electricity by taking a photo with your cell phone;

2. Check all utilities are switched off;

3. If you are driving to your new home, make sure you have the box with essentials, snacks and linen in your own vehicle so that you don’t have to search for them on the other side;

4. Appoint one person to stay until the movers have finished packing to check the packing inventory and ensure that everything is accounted for;

When the removal truck arrives, make sure they move your furniture into the new house first, or you'll end up moving boxes around again to make room.

Children and pets

Moving can be especially stressful for children, especially if you are moving away from your current neighbourhood as they’ll be leaving behind everything that is familiar and might be nervous about the prospect of changing schools and having to make new friends.

Once the decision has been made, call a family meeting to explain the upcoming changes to their lives, allowing them to ask questions or raise concerns.

Once the news has been broken, there are further steps parents can take to help their kids adjust to the upcoming changes:

1. Stick to normal routines as far as possible as it will be reassuring;

2. Scout the new area before the move by taking a family drive to explore the new area and the exciting new adventures that await everyone;

3. Involve the kids in the process by making each responsible for their own rooms, allowing them to pack their own things and decide where they want to put everything in their new rooms.

Moving can be very traumatic for animals because they don’t understand why everything in their world is changing and they are being moved from their safe environment and cats, they can get very stressed.

The best option is to leave your pets with a family member or friend, especially on the day of the move, but if this is not possible, the following will help minimise the stress for pets and owners:

1. With all the comings and goings during moving day and strangers in the house, doors and gates are easily left open so it’s essential to tag your pets with your contact details and the new address.

2. Consult your vet, especially if a pet is prone to travel sickness or high anxiety.

3. On moving day, confine the pets to one room whilst everything is being packed and then again upon arrival at your new home until the movers have left and you can close all the doors and windows to allow them time to acclimatise to new surroundings.