Transitioning Homes . . . More Than Just Packing and Unpacking Boxes

Moving often conjures images of endless boxes, moving trucks and hours of packing and unpacking.  Most people only think of the physical work involved in a move--but there is quite a bit of mental and emotional work that comes with transitioning to a new home.  Regardless of whether the move is across town or across the country--or whether the move is to a larger or smaller space--people can make the entire process go more smoothly if they acknowledge and address the mental and emotional work that comes with transition.

What is the mental or emotional work of moving?  It is more than using a moving checklist or saying goodbye to friends and neighbors.  It is process of disassembling a person's "safe and familiar" place and reassembling it in a completely new space.  It can mean facing the fear of the unknown and the uncertainty of something new.  And it can involve countless decisions about what items get moved, passed on, donated, fixed, or thrown out.  For example, a individual may wonder, "Will the new house be as comfortable as my last house?  Will I love how everything looks once the boxes are unpacked?  Will everything fit? What do I do with the things that don't fit?  What do I do with the empty spaces once everything I own is moved in?"

Whether the transition is an upgrade to a larger home or downsizing to a smaller space--there are some simple organizational steps to help with the mental and emotional work of the move.  As with any big change in life, it helps to have support, find out answers to the "unknowns," and think in terms of opportunities versus difficulties.  

Starting with "thinking in terms of opportunities," moving provides a person with one of the best chances to evaluate all of their belongings and make the conscious decision to declutter and simplify.  Moving forces a person to ask themselves, "Why have I been saving Uncle Fred's collection of velvet Elvis paintings?"  There are five simple questions to help with these sorts of difficult decisions:

1. Have I or anyone else in the house used this item within the past year?
2. Do I see a use for this item in the near future?  (i.e. Would it be difficult or expensive to replace the item?)
3. Is it more important to keep the item than to have the space it occupies? (i.e. Is it a family treasure?)
4. Does the item serve a worthwhile purpose in my life?
5. Do I love it?

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions.  A “yes” to any of them provides a good reason to keep the item.  A “no” indicates the item also has a new home in its future.

Once a person sees moving as an opportunity, it becomes exciting to plan their new "safe and familiar" place.  One way to replace the fear of the unknown with the excitement of something new is to get a copy of the floorplan and brainstorm!  Cutting out furniture icons or drawing them onto the floorplan with a template and pencil is a great way to bridge the transition from the old to the new home.  It also is a tremendous help in the decluttering and simplifying process just described.  A person can then "see" how the new home will look.  An added bonus?  Saving time and money on not moving items that do not fit into a person's life or space.

Velvet Elvii
Photo Credit:  blogs.smithsonianmag.com

Finally, it always helps to have support.  If that basement gallery of velvet Elvis paintings gives a person hives, he or she can always call in a friend or family member to assist with the sorting process.  That friend or family member can help design the new and improved velvet Elvis gallery or he or she can gently break the news that “Elvis needs to leave the building.”