10 Tips On How To Survive A Move During The Pandemic (And Beyond)
Take your move by the reigns and thrive in your new phase of life.
getty Moving during the pandemic isn't ideal but it's still happening.
It seems as though many people are choosing to move at the moment — due to a change of jobs, distance learning, or moving out or back in with family.
Not all moves are happy ones, and the pandemic has encouraged moves that may have not been expected or desired.
For others, money that may have been saved for outings and travel is, instead, being used for a down payment on a home.
Whatever your moving situation, you want to make things easier for yourself and your family.
Here are 10 tips on how to make moving during a pandemic easy and stress-free.
1. Start early.
When you know for sure your move is going to happen, start penciling in a plan and taking some small steps that will help your move once it really starts rolling.
Lining up the dominos for your move can look like collecting boxes, packing items you won’t need for a month, arranging your moving truck, doing some cost comparisons.
When the moving starts, it will feel more like a flow than having to stop and take care of the small things that could have been done earlier.
2. Balance work and your move.
Moving is a full-time job while it’s happening. It also becomes your biggest hobby until it is done. Cancel or put on pause any of your extra commitments.
This might look like a pause on a gym membership, book club, or hanging out with friends.
Since taking time off is not a luxury everyone takes, you can communicate with your work team arrangements that will address challenges caused by your moving process.
Articulate in advance that you will be moving soon and may be overwhelmed. Politely decline extra projects whenever possible.
If team members can cover you on some of your duties, promise them you’ll return the favor at a future time!
3. Choose your music or audiobook.
For some long nights of packing or cleaning, it is music or a good book that can make all the difference!
4. The move is your workout.
Most people on healthy paths to maintain physical fitness have a difficult time letting go of their workout routines.
Here's the permission you may have been looking for: If you're doing the moving solo (i.e., not hiring movers), you will not need an extra workout.
Built-in exercises can include vigorous clearing, cleaning, and packing. Also lifting and moving heavy boxes as well as carrying your bedroom furniture up your new set of stairs.
It can be amazing to log your steps!
5. Take care of your back.
With the workout above in mind, note that you will need to pay extra attention to your back. Moving heavy and awkward items can be wrenching, and you don't want to get injured.
Do plenty of stretching before each day’s move. Ask for help with difficult items. Making more little trips (extra steps!) with light items than trying to grab a heavy load.
Talk to your physician about what is safe for your body.
6. Take care of yourself.
Time will be short and the move will be epic. Don’t skimp on time for self-care. Have an early night in bed. Sleep as well and as long as you can. Eat nourishing foods.
Take some time for meditation and yoga if that is in your practice. Take a break from the moving process if you are becoming overwhelmed.
7. Not all helpers are created equal.
If you have kids that might hurt themselves or drop something or a moody teenager that will dampen the atmosphere, it might be a much-needed gift to yourself to get a babysitter or let them do their own thing.
Friends that genuinely want to help can be great — and add some fun to the mix!
Reward any helpers with a delicious take-out meal, as well as snacks and drinks during the move. No one likes a hangry helper!
8. Allow for meltdowns.
Moving is a much more emotional process than we often realize. Even if it's a happy move, it may mean saying goodbye to an old home or period of time that was special.
Moving also requires going through old things, old photos, and mementos. This can stir up painful or difficult memories.
Moving is also just plain difficult and it's always a much longer and more challenging process than we mentally prepare for. Take all the time you need to breathe and take a break.
Meltdowns happen.
9. Do a goodbye or cleansing ritual.
To help with the emotional process mentioned above, rituals can greatly assist in the process of saying goodbye to the space that has held your experience for any period of time.
Before you walk out the door for the last time, walk from room to room and express gratitude for what happened there, the shelter and comfort that was given.
You may wish to tell the story of each room and share memories that come up, at the moment. You can use sacred smoke or sound (chanting or drumming) to cleanse the space and free the energy.
Was a child born there or a family member died? There may be extra rituals needed to honor this space. Visualize your home entering your heart, accessible whenever you would like to return in your imagination.
This ritual can be done alone, but anyone who will respect the ritual can join to witness or share their own memories. Allow the emotions to arise, this is the release of yet another chapter in your life’s journey.
10. Create rituals for your new home.
Whether you're entering a new apartment or a new house, the space and land will have a previous history. Begin by honoring the land your new place rests upon.
Recognize the story of the earth beneath you, getting in touch with its geological foundation and qualities. Learn about the people who first lived on the land you are now residing on.
Do they still live locally? What are the plants and rocks that still inhabit this space? The previous residents may have not done their own cleansing rituals or have left traces behind.
Vigorous cleaning of all areas will be necessary and will help to acquaint you with each nook and cranny of your new home.
A sacred smoke or sound ritual will also help to cleanse the space spiritually releasing any energies that are no longer welcome.
Introducing yourself through a spoken song or story also signals to the space that you are here now, and this is what you are all about. This helps you make the psychological adaptation, as well.
With these practical and spiritual rituals in place, you’ll then be ready to begin unpacking your things and setting up your new life!
Cyndera Quackenbush, MA, is an Intuitive Storyteller based in the Bay Area, works with women and men in transition wishing to welcome their new home and release old life patterns. Her expert advice on ritual and storytelling can be found at Story Through Stone. Visit her website to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.