To say that moving is difficult is a bit of an understatement. The house moving process is absolutely draining – physically and emotionally draining. It’s exhausting, overwhelming, and thrilling all at the same time – and it’s full of worries, uncertainties, frustrations, anxiety, hope, and excitement.
Moving can pose a risk to mental health.
It’s no wonder then that moving has such a great impact on mental health – it can ignite a passion for life and provoke courage and determination, but it can also cause depression, melancholy, and apathy.
The psychological effects of moving are very powerful and very difficult to deal with – you need to find a way to stay calm and level-headed through it all in order to preserve your mental health and well-being when moving house.
Here are some tips and insights that will help you stay mentally healthy during your move, so you can successfully overcome any challenges that come your way and build a happy new life for yourself in your new environment.
The impact of moving on mental health
When it comes to mental health and moving house, the coin has two sides:
On one hand, the great stress and upheaval caused by the moving process can leave people teetering on the edge of sanity;
On the other hand, moving to a new place full of new people and new opportunities can rekindle hope, enthusiasm, and joy.
Negative effects of moving on mental health
As already mentioned above, moving is physically and emotionally taxing – and when physical exhaustion combines with an emotional rollercoaster, mental health suffers.
So, what exactly poses a risk to psychological health when moving house – and how are the mind and psyche affected?
1) Sleep deprivation – When preparing for a house move, people often don’t get enough hours of sleep (because they choose to sacrifice sleep in order to finish more work or because they’re too worried or too anxious to sleep well, etc.). Sleep deprivation affects the brain in a very negative way and results in impaired judgment, slow reaction times, lack of concentration, forgetfulness, and irritability. It may even lead to depression and cognitive decline.
2) Stress – Moving is said to be one of the most stressful events in life – and stress takes a significant toll on the mind and psyche. It affects the neuro-hormonal balance in the body, impairing cognitive function and causing severe mood swings.
3) Anxiety – Moving involves a lot of uncertainties and risks – all of which cause great anxiety. Anxiety can be extremely overwhelming and debilitating – it causes excessive worries and irrational fears and impairs concentration and decision making, leading to depression and inability to cope with tasks, problems, and challenges.
All the negative moving house emotions (fear of the unknown, sadness from parting with friends, regret for losing what was good, etc.), combined with the risks and hardships of the moving process, inevitably impact the mind – and can easily cause depression or other psychological issues.
Benefits of moving on mental health
As stressful as moving may be, not all its psychological effects are bad. In fact, there are many mental health benefits to moving:
1) Moving provides a fresh start
It all depends on the point of view.
Moving to a new city or state is a chance to start over and change your life for the better – no one will know you, so you’ll be able to start on a clean slate and leave past mistakes behind. It will be very freeing and will allow you to become the person you’ve always wanted to be.
Besides, there will be many new opportunities and you will have a chance to find a better job, create a better home, develop better habits, and build a better life for yourself. It will give you a sense of purpose and will motivate you to work towards your goals.
You’ll be hopeful, enthusiastic, and determined to make the most of your new life – so your overall mental and emotional well-being will improve a lot.
When you move to a new place, you will have a chance to try new experiences and learn new things. It will be exciting and rewarding and will rekindle your zest for life.
What’s more, you’ll encounter different attitudes, customs, and social practices in your new area – your knowledge and understanding of the world will increase and you’ll get new perspectives and new ideas.
It will all be very beneficial for your mental state.
3) Moving will help you grow as a person
Relocating will take you out of your comfort zone and will present you with all kinds of challenges. It will push you to think harder, work harder, and try harder.
You will become braver, more resilient, more resolute, and more confident – in a word, mentally and emotionally stronger.
4) Moving will help you make new friends and start new relationships
You will meet many new people after the move – your social circle will grow and you will have a better chance to build meaningful relationships.
Having fun with your new friends will lift your spirits and make you feel happy – and knowing that there are people you can trust and rely on, people who care about you as much as you care about them will be invaluable for your mental state.
So, how does moving house affect you emotionally? All in all, it’s quite the emotional cocktail – moving is challenging, inspiring, depressing, exciting, and scary all at once. In order to stay sane through it all, you need to know how to take care of your mental health during your move.
Considering the insane amount of workload you need to take care of when preparing for your move and the powerful moving house emotions you’re certain to experience at all stages of the relocation process, it’s no wonder that you may feel like you’re going crazy with it all.
In order to move house without losing your mind, you need to find a way to stay on top of things – and on top of emotions. The expert tips below will help you achieve this feat:
Take time to mentally prepare for the move
Moving is a life-changing event – in order to successfully deal with it, you need to prepare your heart and mind for the change:
Recognize that moving will change your life
Change is knocking on the door…
You will be living in a different home, in a different environment, among different people – and you will most likely have a different job and a different daily routine. So, don’t expect things to be the same after the relocation – acknowledge that your life will be different.
Do not be sad or scared about it though – try to embrace the change and make the most of it. It may be challenging at first, but it will be interesting and will open a lot of new doors for you.
Your life will change but you will have a chance to change it for the better.
Remember that your experiences and bonds will stay with you
No matter how sad you may be about leaving your old life behind, remind yourself that you won’t lose everything that was good about it after the move.
You will leave your old home (and maybe your old town too) but you’ll remember all the happy and sad moments you’ve spent in it and will carry the memories with you – your experiences won’t be lost just because you’re moving to a new place.
And even though you will part with friends (and maybe even family), your relationships won’t cease to exist – you will still care about these people and they will still care about you. You can even continue being a part of each other’s lives quite easily, despite the physical distance between you.
Make plans for your new life
The easiest way to accept change in a positive way is to envision all the positive things it will bring.
So, research your new area, find out what it has to offer, and think of all the interesting activities you’ll be able to engage in after the move, all the pleasant experiences that await you, all the amazing places you’ll get to explore, etc. Look into organizations and clubs you might want to join, events you might want to participate in, entertainment locales your might want to visit, etc. Make plans for your new life, so you have something to look forward to – and so you minimize the uncertainties that cause so much anxiety and fear.
Be sure to make a floor design of your new home too – decide how you’re going to arrange and decorate the place to turn it into your dream home, so you get even more excited about your future life.
Accept that there may be problems and difficulties
Every new beginning is difficult – and the actual moving process is quite difficult too.
Every challenge has a solution – you just need to find it.
So, don’t expect everything to go according to plan or fall into place from day one – you will face all kinds of challenges during and after the move and problems are bound to happen.
Try not to be daunted by the prospect though – every problem has a solution and overcoming challenges will make you a stronger person.
When you’re mentally ready for the move, the myriad moving house emotions that will arise during the relocation process will be much easier to deal with and won’t affect you so much.
Say your goodbyes
In order to be able to embrace your new life in a positive way and avoid (or at least minimize) feelings of homesickness, sadness, regret, and depression after the move, you need closure. In other words, you need to find a way to properly say goodbye to your old life:
Say goodbye to your old home – Walk through your home and take photos of every room and every nook and corner – then take photos of the house from the outside and from the garden (if applicable). Put all the pictures in a photo album and take it with you when you move to your new home. It is a good idea to throw a house-leaving party too – so you can have some fun in your old place one last time;
Say goodbye to your favorite places in town (if you’re moving to another city)- Visit your favorite restaurants, bars, parks, etc., take some pictures, and enjoy some time in these special places before the move;
Say goodbye to your friends– Spend as much time with your friends as possible before the relocation, enjoy some of your favorite activities together one last time, invite your pals to a farewell party, give each of them a small, meaningful gift, and promise to stay in contact after the relocation.
Bidding a proper farewell to everything and everyone you love about your old life will help you come to terms with moving away and will make the sadness much more bearable.
Make thorough plans
Having a detailed plan in place will reduce the uncertainties of the moving process – you’ll know what to expect, so you won’t be so anxious and stressed out:
Decide on a moving date, so you know how much time you have until your move and can plan it accordingly (it will help reduce time-related moving stress);
Adopt a smart approach to your moving preparations
Preparing for your move may be tedious or enjoyable – it’s entirely up to you.
There is a lot to do when preparing for a house move, so you need to find a way to bring order to the chaos and avoid being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the endeavor:
Start your moving preparations as early as possible, so you have plenty of time to take care of the numerous relocation tasks – it will save you a lot of stress;
Make a moving calendar, so you can distribute the workload properly and ensure that you’ll manage to complete all the tasks in time – it will give you peace of mind;
Split major moving tasks into doable mini-goals – it will make things less overwhelming;
Work on one task at a time – it will help you stay focused and organized;
Do not rush things – it will help you avoid mistakes;
Work with diligence and care but do not expect that you’ll be able to do everything perfectly – it will save you a lot of frustration;
Keep your sense of humor – it will light up the mood;
Reward yourself for every successfully completed task – it will keep your motivation high;
Take every possible measure to prevent accidents and injuries during the moving process – it will help reduce your safety concerns and worries.
Try to maintain your normal lifestyle
When wondering how to stay mentally healthy during your move, remember that the best way to combat stress and anxiety is to keep things as normal as possible:
Follow your normal morning routine and bedtime routine;
Maintain your work routine and your professional life;
Keep your kids’ routine and your pets’ routine unchanged;
Do the things you always do in the same way you always do them.
Get enough sleep
As already detailed above, sleep deprivation is very harmful for mental health.
It’s essential that you get enough sleep and proper rest during the hectic relocation period, so you have both the physical energy and mental stamina to deal with laborious moving tasks, critical moving decisions, and exacting moving challenges.
So, no matter how much work you have, don’t be tempted to stay up for a few extra hours or get up a couple of hours earlier to get it done – it won’t help (as you’ll be too drowsy, sluggish, and absent-minded to actually complete the work) and will have quite a negative impact on your psychological state (you’ll be irritable, moody, and anxious).
Eat healthily
Healthy food is good for both physical and mental health.
As surprising as it may be, eating affects not only your physical health but your mental well-being as well.
Healthy food is good for the brain as it provides it with the nutrients it needs to function properly – and the pleasure of a good meal can lift your spirits up several notches.
So, make sure you don’t skip any major meals during your move, no matter how busy you may be, and include healthy, nutritious foods in your diet – fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, eggs, lean meats, low-fat dairy products, etc.
Don’t forget to keep yourself properly hydrated too.
Find time to do what you love
One of the surest ways to remain mentally healthy when moving is to find time for enjoyable activities.
You will have a lot of work before your move, but it’s crucial to dedicate some time to fun and relaxing activities – playing games, reading books, watching movies, listening to music, going for walks in nature, hanging out with friends, etc. Doing what you love doing will bring you joy and will take some of the stress away, improving your overall mental and emotional well-being.
So, whenever you start feeling overwhelmed or begin to lose your focus, take a break and engage in a favorite activity – it will give you the chance to clear your mind of move-related worries and will make you feel happy, refreshed, and invigorated. The moving challenges won’t seem so daunting anymore.
Maintain inner peace
When you’re calm and at peace, your mental health thrives. So, in order to stay mentally healthy during your move, you need to find your balance and stay centered and collected throughout the entire process.
But how can you achieve this during such a hectic and challenging period? How to stay calm when moving house?
Here are some ideas to help you out:
Play relaxing music to calm your mind when the stress and anxiety of moving become too much to handle;
Do some yoga to regain your equilibrium when emotions start getting out of control;
Breathe slowly and deeply for a few minutes whenever you start getting angry or frustrated;
Try not to worry too much about things out of your control;
Find a safe way to vent your emotions before they cause an anxiety attack – share your concerns with family and friends, keep a journal, etc.
Bonus tip: Leave your move to the pros
All of the above will be really easy to accomplish – so it will be really easy to preserve your mental health – if you hire professional movers to take care of your relocation.
Take proper care of your emotional well-being during your move.
The pros will do all the work for you, so you will have time to come to terms with leaving your old world, prepare for your new life, and say your goodbyes – and you will have time to sleep, eat, engage in your favorite activities, and spend time with your friends.
Most importantly, you will have the peace of mind that your items are in good hands and your move will be performed in the safest and smoothest way possible. It will take much of the stress off your shoulders – and that will be really good for your psychological health. (Just make sure you find experienced and trustworthy movers to work with.)
One final piece of wisdom: Remember that what matters the most for maintaining good mental health during a house move is to stay optimistic andfocus on the positive – consider all possible benefits from the relocation, think of all the good things that await you, and get excited about your new life.
The moving hardships will soon be over and you will find yourself in your new home with your belongings in tow, congratulating yourself on your successful relocation. It will be a brave new world full of opportunities and adventures – and your emotional well-being will get quite a boost. Happy moving!
*At MoveAdvisor we will connect you with a professional moving company. Please note that we may not be affiliated with
and you may be speaking with another licensed provider.
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