Moving is exhausting work even if you have help; I strongly advise if you are in your 3rd Act of life that you get professional help packing and unpacking and, of course, moving the stuff! The packers may not put everything in the right place, but they will put it in the correct room. You can rearrange later.
I am at the point where I ask strangers to help me move rather than friends and relatives. I did have one friend help on this move — she took Dan to our new place and helped out a lot on the other end. I am forever grateful. Dan no longer drives.
Moves always take twice as long as you think they will, and you always discover you have so much more junk than you ever thought you had. You will soon realize that you should have gotten rid of more stuff before the move. Forgive yourself; you are human. Just make sure you get rid of the stuff that won’t work in your new place as soon as you can.
Make plans to have dinner delivered to your new place on moving day, and be sure to set up your bed and make it first thing. If you wait, you may not have the energy to do it!
Get SERENITY as soon as possible in the living room first and then the kitchen and bathrooms. I am talking about cleared horizontal surfaces. The bedrooms can wait a bit. Put all your boxes against the wall or in a closet stacked up to keep out of the way until you can get to them. Try to keep your new place as serene as possible, even if it may be difficult at times.
Hydrate yourself — it is so easy to forget to drink water when your mind and body are busy with so many other things. But it is so vital for your energy level. Also, don’t try to do too much in one day. Pace yourself and realize that moving is a stressor, and don’t try to rush the settling-in process. Take lots of time for self-care; you are worth it! Rest when your body tells you to rest.
Keep in mind that everything is different, and it will take time to adjust to all the changes. Realize it takes on average six months to feel settled. It takes time to find new places for every item in your home. You may discover you need to get new items that fit your new spaces.
Most importantly, keep a positive frame of mind. You need to concentrate on what you are gaining, not what you are losing. Growing up in a family that moved many times, my parents taught us to view moving as an exciting adventure and look ahead instead of back. And after twenty-three moves in forty-eight years of marriage, I am getting used to focusing on the positive. It does make a huge difference in the stress level.