Moving house is a struggle – both physically and emotionally. And while experienced movers can help you out with the physical aspects of the relocation – they will do all the heavy lifting for you, you have to be the one to handle the mental side of a residential move.
You may think that you’re ready to move out… but you may have failed to read all the signs that tell an entirely different story. The good news is that once you solve the relocation puzzle in your head, things will suddenly become much easier for you and for the people around you.
Here are the top 5 signs that you’re not psychologically ready to move out, plus useful information on what you can do to prepare your mind for what’s coming.
1. You keep the upcoming move a secret
One sign that you’re not mentally ready to move out is the fact that you haven’t told anybody about the approaching move, not even to your best friends – the buddies whose help you will likely need in the course of the move, especially on Moving day.
Your unwillingness to share the news with the people you care about the most may be a clear sign that you yourself are in denial – you are refusing to accept that you’ll soon be gone from the place you are right now. So, the chances are that you’re keeping the move a secret simply because you yourself don’t want to believe that that house move will soon become a reality.
Often, keeping your friends in the dark will prove to be a mistake for a number of reasons:
- Some of your pals may get mad at you for not sharing with them such an important piece of news;
- You’ll be burning your bridges when it’s time to ask your friends to help you move;
- You’ll feel really bad if you do move out without informing your pals, thus never having the chance to say goodbye to them in person.
What to do: For better or worse, you’re moving out so it makes perfect sense to inform your most favorite people in the world about what’s happening. After all, your silence won’t change anything.
Read also: How to get friends to help you move
Good advice: How to say goodbye to friends when moving
2. The thought of moving scares you
How will you know whether you’re psychologically prepared to move out or not? If you feel pretty scared of all the known and unknown changes that the upcoming move will introduce in your life, then that’s an obvious sign that the notorious fear of moving is preventing you from having a smooth and stress-free move.
And unless you find a way to overcome your fears of moving and prove to yourself how unfounded most of them are, you won’t really be ready to take that big step out of your comfort zone.
There are many reasons why you may feel scared of moving away, but the two major moving fears always seem to be
- the fear of moving away from family and friends – you already miss your loved ones too much even before the move has become a reality, and
- the fear of the unknown – life is unpredictable in many ways, and moving to a new city or moving to a new state will only reinforce that anxious feeling of impending unpredictability and uncertainty.
What to do: Confront your fears of moving, one by one. Be brave enough to admit to yourself that you’re scared and frightened of the looming life change – once you do that, it’ll become easier to deal with your anxiety and, as a result, become emotionally ready for the move.
See also: How to overcome the fear of moving
3. You just stand there and do nothing as time is ticking away
One of the most evident signs that you’re not mentally prepared to move out is your strong tendency to do nothing, thus losing precious time as the clock is ticking mercilessly toward Moving day. Interestingly enough, you expect things to miraculously work out fine in the end despite your obvious confusion about what you should do next.
The bad news is that the more time you spend in apparent inactivity, the more stressed out you are likely to feel with each passing day due to the nagging thought that you won’t have enough time to finish up your preparations. In fact, feeling lost in your own house moving agenda will result in an extra dose of stress for you – the pressure to finish all moving tasks on time.
As a rule of thumb, the less time you have until your move-out date, the more nervous you will become, especially when you know that you’ve lost another day wondering what exactly you are supposed to be doing.
What to do: Follow a good Moving Checklist – the only house moving tool that will let you achieve a high level of time management. Stay calm and composed knowing that you’re right on schedule to pull off a successful move.
4. You only focus on the negative aspects of the move
If you find out that you only tend to see the negative aspects of the fast-approaching move, then it may mean that you’re not emotionally ready to move away from your environment. Moving to completely new surroundings can be really, really tough, especially when circumstances are forcing you to move.
Regardless of whether you’re following your spouse or you yourself are moving for a new job (or for another reason altogether), it’s time to throw those pessimistic thoughts out the window and consider all the good things that will come as a direct result of the relocation.
The important thing to understand here is that you’re actually looking at the same thing… but making a conscious choice to see only its negative side. From a psychological point of view, focusing only on bad things will make you miserable and won’t really prepare you to leave the place in a good mental state.
What to do: Be optimistic! Keep reminding yourself of all the clear advantages that the house move will bring. The upcoming move may be the radical change you’ve been looking for, even if you don’t immediately see it right now.
Good to know: How to deal with moving house emotions
5. You feel nostalgia even before you move out
When you’re about to move away from friends and family, it’s normal to feel sad about the whole relocation affair. It can be extremely hard to walk away from the support of your loved ones and to leave your comfort zone all at once. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what you’ll have to do in a while.
If you feel sad, really sad even before Moving day has come around the corner, then that’s one of the unmistakable signs that you’re not emotionally ready to move away from the place that feels like your true home. Simply put, you’re just not prepared mentally to up and leave everyone and everything behind, boldly moving onto the next life chapter without feeling nostalgic at all.
How do you deal with that overwhelming feeling of sadness that won’t leave you alone no matter how many times you tell yourself that moving away is for your own good? There’s no easy answer here but what you can do is organize a farewell party and invite all your good friends to see them and have fun together with them before you move away.
What to do: Dealing with nostalgia (aka relocation depression) can be more difficult than you think. Promise yourself to keep in touch with your friends after the move as a way to accept the inevitability of parting with your best pals due to relocation.
Must-read: 5 reasons why moving by yourself is not worth the trouble
