Human beings tend to dislike change , says Melbourne-based psychologist Sarah Godfrey , so if you ' re freaking out a bit ahead of the big move , cut yourself some slack .
Moving house can bring up " an incredibly complex range of emotions , from fear and anxiety about the change , to self-doubt about the decision , to grief and loss about the memories and the connections you have in the area ", says Ms Godfrey , who is also co-chair of Griefline Australia .
" It ' s very usual to feel anxious and upset and distraught ." Avoid last-minute packing
Packing is nobody ' s idea of fun , but it can be simpler and less exhausting if you have some time to declutter your house or apartment first .
" There ' s no point putting the time , effort and money into moving items that you don ' t actually need in your new house ," says Chelsea Smith , Melbourne-based organisational expert whose clients are often preparing to move .
She recommends starting the decluttering process " the minute you start to plan to move " — then working through the process slowly and steadily for a set chunk of time each day .
" What I like to do is set an alarm in my phone , work hard and fast during that hour ' s block , and the alarm goes off and I basically stop ," says Ms Smith , who moved home in early 2021 with her husband and two kids .
" A little bit every night far outweighs trying to pack everything in one evening or weekend ." Get strategic with those boxes If you can manage it , allow yourself a good chunk of time to pack .
" It ' s always a good idea to start packing at least a week before move , which helps ensure you ' re marking boxes properly ," says Pushpal Singh , who runs a removalist business in Melbourne .
He recommends labelling boxes on three sides — the top , front and back — so the labels can be read whichever way they ' re stacked .
You can also reduce stress at the other end by resisting the temptation to throw everything into a box higgeldy-piggeldy . Try :
Packing items you won ' t need straight away first , so they ' re at the bottom of your boxes . (" If we ' re in summer , you can start to pack up your scarves ," Ms Smith says . " And pack the fridge stuff last .")