Your Guide to Relocating Your Family Without Stress
Your Guide to Relocating Your Family Without Stress
Here are some helpful hints to make your change of location run a lot more smoothly, and to help ease the stress involved.
Written by The Stay Sane Mom Staff | See Comments | Updated 06/20/2019
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Your Guide to Relocating Your Family Without Stress
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If you are about to make a big move, it’s gonna be hell.
Sorry, was I supposed to sugar coat that?
Yeah, no. Moving is always a pain in the neck. Not to mention big moves that involve bringing your family to a new geographic area entirely (as opposed to switching houses within the same community).
People decide to relocate for many reasons; to be closer to family, a move to the country for a change in lifestyle, a new job, to move closer to good schools… the reasons for relocating are endless. However, whatever your reason for moving, one thing that you can be sure of is that you will probably experience some mixed emotions regarding your impending relocation.
(“Mixed emotions” is a very nice phrase for what you’ll actually experience, which is usually stress, rage, and a desire to sell all your material possessions and become a monk.)
Depending on the circumstances of your move, you may feel both excited and a little nervous. It is entirely normal to feel apprehensive about such a significant change in your life, and it is only natural to still feel a sense of trepidation, even if you are viewing your relocation as a positive move. Of course, buying and selling property can be stressful even at the best of times, and relocating to a new area brings with it a whole new set of challenges.
Here are some helpful hints to make your change of location run a lot more smoothly, and to help ease the stress involved.
Get Organized
It’s never too early to start getting yourself organized for your big move. The more that you can do in advance, the less stressful things will get further down the line as your moving date approaches. There is nothing worse than the last minute panic of realizing that you still have half of the house to pack up with just a few days to spare.
Make life easier on yourself by starting to sort through all your stuff early.
(Read: declutter, minimize, and throw stuff away!)
Start by going through your things to separate items that you no longer need. Once you have a pile of unwanted items, you can then decide what to do with them, such as donate them to charity or give them to a family member or friend who may have a use for them. Starting early with the decluttering process also means that you have the time to sell any items that you wish to as well.
Once your decluttering is complete, it’s time to pick up some boxes and start to pack. The easiest way to get your packing organized is to begin with items that you want to keep, but don’t use every day. Things such as books and ornaments, which are non-essential, are an excellent place to start when packing up your belongings.
Don’t forget to label the boxes as you pack; there’s nothing worse than having to unpack everything when you discover you need something but don’t know which box it is in. Label your boxes with the name of the room that they belong in, ie, kitchen, kid’s bedroom, etc.
Prepare the Kids for the Change
Relocating with kids can be a tricky process to manage, but there are ways to make it easier all round. While kids are surprisingly adaptable, significant changes can leave them feeling unsettled as they are out of their usual routine. Of course, the decision to relocate is not one that they have made so they may be left feeling slightly anxious about the whole situation.
Leaving behind friends and starting at a new school can be upsetting for kids, so the more you can do to make the whole transition easier for them, the better. It is always best to speak about the move in a positive way to your child; otherwise, they will pick up on your negative vibes, which will influence how they see the move.
To help them settle in their new neighborhood, involve the kids in the fun side of moving, such as helping to pick out decor for their new bedroom, etc. Starting a new school in a new area is likely to be one of their main worries, so arrange for them to look around the school before they start so that they can familiarize themselves with it.
Another way to help lessen the impact of the change on your child is to book in a play date in advance with their current school friends so that they know that despite the move they will see their friends again sometime soon.
Overall, keeping your move as much of a positive thing as possible in the eyes of your child should help to lessen the upset that it causes, and help them to see that it is an exciting chance to make lots more friends and experience living somewhere different with lots of brand new places to explore and discover.
Familiarize Yourself with the Neighborhood
Making yourself familiar with your new area before you move will help you to feel more at home much more quickly. Take a walk around and get used to your new area. Find out where people go to have fun and hang out so that you have ideas of what to do in your leisure time once you have moved in.
To help you to make new friends once you are settled in, you may decide to look out for local clubs and societies that you can join to get to know your new neighbors.
Check Out the Amenities
To help yourself settle into your new location, it is best to check out the local amenities and familiarize yourself with them. Checking everything out before you move will make life loads easier when you are in your new place. Finding out which are the closest essential amenities should be your priority. Do a little research to find out where the nearest doctors and emergency room are, just in case you need them. If you have pets, you will need to locate a vet in your new area too.
If you have kids or pets check out where the nearest parks are so that you can get out and have some fresh air once you have moved, and enjoy some fun in your new surroundings.
Other useful amenities to check out before your move are how far away the shops and gas station are from your new home so that you can stock up on essential supplies when you need them.
Even better, if your new ‘hood is close by, start taking regular outings to the things that will become your new daily fixtures (parks, restaurants, etc.). This way when you do move, some things will already be familiar parts of your routine.
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The Stay Sane Mom Staff
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Occasionally we post blogs that are a team effort from The Stay Sane Mom staff. Fear not, these are still up to our quality standards, they just don't come from any one person (rather the team at large). As my 4-year-old says, teamwork makes the dream work.