Ways to cope with the stress of moving

As you are aware, the science of psychology deals with every aspect of life. Moving house is one of them. If you, like me, are currently moving house and don't know how to cope with the feelings you have about moving house, this article is for you.

Although the stress levels of moving to another neighborhood in our city or to another city or country are different, moving to another neighborhood in our city is also a very stressful event. Moving stress can be explained by Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which states that humans need a stable home environment to achieve the highest level of emotional well-being, along with other essentials such as food, sleep, shelter and water.

Our homes are our fortresses, protecting us from the negative influences of the outside world. It is precisely for this reason that leaving a home that we find safe and familiar and moving to a new, unfamiliar home in a different neighborhood can cause feelings of anxiety. We may find it frightening to step out of the familiar, known world of our old home and neighborhood into the unknown world of our new home and neighborhood. 

Moving to a new city or even a new neighborhood is stressful at any age, but a study shows that frequent childhood relocations are associated with less well-being in adulthood, especially among more introverted or neurotic people. Researchers tested the association between the number of childhood moves and well-being in a sample of 7,108 American adults followed for 10 years and came to this conclusion.

So how can we deal with the stress of moving? Here are a few suggestions for you: Hold on to your routines Routines give us a sense of security and help us cope with change. So one of the things we need to do when we move to another home is to hold on to our routines. For example, if exercise is part of your morning routine, incorporate it into your new life in your new home. 

Don't neglect your mental and physical self-care. Moving is both physically and psychologically exhausting. So try to take extra care of your mental and physical health while moving. Eat well, pay attention to your sleep patterns, and make time in your day for activities that will lower your stress levels, such as practicing yoga or meditating. 

Accept that moving is stressful. Moving can cause many emotions such as sadness and anxiety. Memories of the home we will leave behind may come back to us one by one. Moreover, our feelings towards the move may change constantly. One day we may be excited about our new home and another day we may be sad to leave our old home.

Accepting that moving is stressful and triggers different emotions will relieve us to some extent. As the cliché but true saying goes, the only constant is change. Moving house is just one of the many changes we will face throughout our lives.