Get Rest When You Need It
Relocations can be tiring, and sleep is important for staying healthy and safe. Get as many hours of sleep as you require in a normal night, even when you’re busy packing or sorting through your possessions. If need be, take naps. Track your sleep to ensure you get enough, and pay attention to your body when it feels tired. If you find yourself losing sleep from stress, talk to your doctor.
Eat Well
Good nutrition is an important part of staying safe and healthy during a relocation. Eat a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, and lean protein like fish. If you become too busy during the relocation to cook, buy bagged salads and pre-made sandwiches.
Treat Injuries Quickly
Sometimes moving boxes can cause strained muscles and other injuries. If you happen to injure yourself through the moving process, treat your injuries by seeing your doctor as soon as possible. Don’t let an injury go on for a long time.
Manage Mental and Emotional Health
Managing your mental and emotional health throughout the move is important. Many seniors battle depression at various times, and moving can be an uncertain time for many people. Stay emotionally and mentally fit to help make moving a better experience. Additionally, you can do these things to help your overall health:
- Take time to meet with friends on a regular basis.
- Engage in gentle exercise regularly.
- Meditate, get massages, or engage in other relaxing activities.
- Talk to someone about your feelings, especially if you have feelings of sadness or worry.
- Go out and do fun things, like going to movies or eating out at restaurants.
Your emotional and mental health is important. If you can’t stay positive, finishing moving-related tasks may become difficult.
Let Go of Unnecessary Possessions
Many seniors move from bigger houses to smaller houses, so getting rid of unnecessary possessions is important. Give to charities when at all possible, and pass along items of sentimental value to family members or friends. For example, you may choose to give away Christmas ornaments to your children, who can look back on them fondly and will continue to enjoy them for years to come. This makes saying goodbye to old possessions much easier and can even be rewarding.
Make a schedule, giving yourself a reasonable amount of time to sort through possessions in each room of your house. If you plan to move in three years, give yourself two and a half years to accomplish your goal. Set deadlines and stick to them.
Say Goodbye to Friends and Make Plans to See Them Again
Another difficult thing about moving is saying goodbye to people you’ve known or lived near for a very long time. Talk to your friends and loved ones about your move months in advance. Exchange contact information and make plans to see one another in the future. This way, you’ll know that your upcoming move will not be the end of old friendships.
Decide In Advance Where Everything Will Go
Hopefully by the time the current owner of your new home has accepted your offer, you’ll have sorted and cut back on your possessions. Once you know where you’ll move to, you can determine whether you’ve gotten rid of enough or if you’ve more possessions to give away.
If possible, get a blueprint for your new property. Decide where everything will go in advance to ensure that you have enough space. This can reduce anxiety and prevent any last minute problems after the movers have unloaded your things.
Work With a Reputable Packing Company
Many seniors suffer from strength and coordination issues, so packing can be dangerous. The safest way to pack your possessions is to work with a full service moving company. Your full service moving company can pack everything that is too heavy to lift and too difficult to carry around in boxes.
When you look for a moving company, check references and get an in-person bid to ensure that your moving company knows what they agree to do for your move. Book your full-service moving company well in advance to ensure that you’re able to get a moving company that is right for your needs.
For more information about moving as a senior, contact a reputable moving company today. At Wheaton World Wide Moving Company, we’re happy to answer your questions about moving as a senior. To find out more, contact us today.
