Health and Wellness: Self-Care Tips for Women During the Relocation Process
Importance of self-care during relocation
They say that moving is one of the most stressful times in anyone’s life, next to death and divorce. Especially if you’ve lived in your home for many years, have a large property, a big family and full of life to go along with it.
The whole process of putting your house on the market and buying a new one can be so overwhelming. It’s easy to get rundown and exhausted. It’s important to take time for yourself during this stressful process so that you you don’t find yourself in this situation when the time comes.
How relocation can impact women's health and wellness
As women and mothers, you have a lot on your to-do list every day. Working in the home, maintaining your career, as well as caring for your family is a full-time job in itself.
When you’re relocating, it takes a lot of mental energy and time out of your day to find a home that’s suitable for your needs, while juggling all the little details in between. Restless nights, lost sleep, weekends looking at open houses, negotiating with realtors and buyers, looking for best neighborhood schools, the list goes on and on.
All of this adds a lot of stress to your mind and body, and has a great impact on your overall health and wellness.
These are some practical tips that can help you prioritize your self care during the relocation process. Even implementing just a few of these will have a great impact for your overall well-being.
Understanding the Impact of Relocation on Health and Wellness
Stress and its effects on physical and mental health
The Mayo Clinic reports that stress can manifest itself physically through headaches, muscle pain and tension, chest pain, fatigue, stomach upset and sleep problems. As well as mentally through anxiety, overwhelm, depression, a lack of motivation, irritability or anger.
Coping with uncertainty and change
Aside from the physical and mental effects that relocating can have on your mind of body, there’s the difficulty of coping with uncertainty and change. Anxiety when it comes to finding a home that’s suitable for your family.
How your kids are going to deal with the change in a new city and a new school, and having to make new friends again? This sheer fact that your entire routine that you’ve grown accustomed to will be changing yet again.
Balancing responsibilities during the relocation
On top of all of this, you still need to balance your day-to-day responsibilities. Waking up, getting the kids ready for school, getting yourself ready for work, school lunches, make up and hair, meetings, doctors appointments, dinner, homework and bath time.
You might get lucky and be able to squeeze in 30 minutes for yourself to binge on Netflix. Trying to forget about all your problems until you have to do it all over again the next day.
Preparing for a Healthy Relocation
Researching healthcare facilities and services in the new location
Preparation is key, so let’s break down these large components into small bite-sized pieces that are more manageable. Research healthcare facilities and doctors offices in your new location.
Find out what hospitals are in the area, look up and see reviews on the best pediatricians and other healthcare providers to see who’s in network. Make a list of every doctor that your family needs, and schedule an initial appointment with each of them in your new city so that your family can get started on the right foot.
Setting up a support network in the new community
Women, whether you’re a mom or not, it’s crucial to have a network of people and resources that you can count on when you move to your new city.
Mom groups on Facebook, Nextdoor.com and other sites provide great resources to help you get established. If you’re looking for a house cleaner, a babysitter, the inside scoop on the schools and the teachers, or youth sports and volunteer groups in the community that you can get connected with soon after you’re in your new house.
Organizing and decluttering before the move
Let’s not forget one of the biggest things that can help you prepare, decluttering and organizing before you move out of your house.
Now is the time to purge anything in your house that you’re no longer using, things that you’ve forgotten about that are buried in the corners, in the garage, and under the beds.
When you move to a new home it’s always best to start fresh, so getting rid of things that are no longer needed is a great way to begin a new chapter in your life.
Donating household items, furniture and simplifying can save you so much money on packing supplies and moving expenses. You actually save money by getting rid of things.
Maintaining Emotional Well-being
Recognizing and managing relocation-related anxiety and stress
It’s so important to be able to recognize the symptoms of anxiety and stress so that you can take action steps to manage it. Ask yourself if you’ve been experiencing any of these signs :
Has your weight gone up or down, or are you stressed eating?
Have you been avoiding important relationships in your life?
These are all signs of anxiety. Make sure that you’re still making time for your personal interests and hobbies.
Keep up with personal relationships and family members, all of these things are going to encourage you, help you relax, and give you strength while you’re going through this challenging time.
Establishing self-care routines to reduce emotional strain
If you have a self-care routine, what does it look like? If you don’t have a self care routine, now is the time to get started. This can be something as simple as taking a hot bath, getting dressed up, doing your make up and hair just for fun, going to get a massage or a pedicure.
Anything that makes you feel good, that takes care of you mind and body in the process.
Seeking professional support if needed
Thankfully today, mental health is not the stigma it once was years ago. Finding a great therapist or doctor is as simple as going online and doing a Google search for someone that can help you through these difficult moments.
In fact, it can be quite therapeutic to have another person who’s completely removed from your situation, that can provide unbiased and practical help that is customized just for you.
You don’t even have to bring it up with other people, you can go on your phone and have a video visit on your own personal time.
Physical Self-Care During Relocation
Prioritizing regular exercise and staying active
Exercise may not be at the top of your mind when you’re thinking of ways to relieve your stress. However studies show that this can be a great stress reliever. To make it easier, choose an exercise that you like to do and try to do it for a few minutes every day or a couple of times a week.
Personally I love to jump on a spin bike in the gym. I loathe the treadmill and the elliptical machine, but the spinning bike is where it’s at for me. Do what comes natural to you.
Maintaining a balanced and nutritious diet
Again, eating a balanced and healthy diet may not be at the top of your mind when it comes to stress relief, however when you feed your body well you might even shed a few of those unwanted pounds.
You’re going to need all the positivity and strength you can get while you’re decluttering your home, coordinating things with the moving company and getting your house packed up before you move.
Practicing relaxation techniques to manage physical tension
Deep breathing, meditation, and music and art therapy or just a few ways that you can manage the tension in your body. Box breathing in particular is one of my favorite ways to relax and it’s helped me on many nights to sleep quickly after being restless from insomnia.
The thought of meditating might sound boring, but finding time to turn off your brain after it’s been going nonstop all day is such a great way to help you relax. If you ever have a chance, a float spa is a great way to do this.
For about $40 you can go into a deprivation chamber that is soundproof, with no stimulation light or any outside noise. You’re floating in a shallow tub of water filled with salts so your body automatically floats. It’s the ultimate relaxation when you want to turn off your brain.
The amount of muscle and energy you need to pack up your entire house is going to be a lot. Having these techniques will help manage the physical tension burden during the transition.
Nurturing Social Connections
Building new friendships and connections in the new area
Whether you’re getting your kids set up in their new school or meeting new colleagues, take a few minutes to introduce yourself to some of the parents and fellow coworkers with the goal of having a brief conversation.
Investing a few minutes of genuine conversation with other people in your realm can help you get to know others better, and form relationships that will help ground you as you start to build this new chapter in your life.
Staying connected with loved ones from the previous location
It’s important not to forget everyone in your life who has become an anchor for you up until this point. Your friends and family who’ve supported you over the last few years, and even through your relocation can be a great source of strength.
They can provide the emotional connecting you need to while you build new bonds in your community. It’s also great to see how they are doing, and how you can be a friend to them, supporting them while taking your mind off of your own struggles.
Joining local clubs or organizations with shared interests
One of the best ways to get established after you move into your new house is to join groups with others who have a shared interest. It could be a hobby like sports, pottery classes, wine and cheese groups or whatever peaks your interest.
Even if you’ve only known someone for a short period of time, you can feel very connected to them when you share a common interest.
Balancing Work and Self-Care
Setting boundaries and managing work-related stress
Setting boundaries is probably in the top three things that you can do to manage your stress during the relocation process. Make a commitment to leave work at work, so that your attention at home and in your personal life can get the attention it needs, and you can have the balance in your life that will keep you refreshed.
Work is important, but it’s not more important than your family and your health. Work will always be there, your family and your health may not. Make a schedule, stick to it and try not to overthink it.
Allocating time for personal relaxation and rejuvenation
Now that you’ve been spending day and night packing up your house, decluttering your home, unpacking boxes and getting setting up in your new home, you’re absolutely going to need time for personal relaxation.
Women tend to put themselves last when it comes to self-care. You need to put yourself up at the top of the list so that you can be the best for everyone in your life. You matter too!
Even if it’s one hour a week, make sure that you carve out time alone so you’re not having to deal with everyone else’s demands and needs.
Seeking workplace support during the relocation process
It may seem scary, but it’s important that your boss knows enough about your relocation and personal circumstances so they can be supportive during this transition period. Tell them what you need - communication is your friend.
You’d be surprised how much they’re willing to support you in the ways that you need, so you can continue to be a success at work while getting what you need with your schedule, workload and responsibilities.
Practical Tips for Women During the Relocation Process
Packing a self-care kit for the journey
Whether you’re moving 30 minutes away or across the country, you should pack some essential items in a self care kit for your journey.
This can include some healthy snacks, aromatherapy, an eye mask, EarPods with your favorite music, relaxation sounds, or anything that can help you relax during the off peak moments when you’re riding in the car or flying on a plane to your new residence.
Incorporating small self-care rituals into daily routines
When you get to your new home you’ll likely be spending several days unpacking the house and organizing your new home. In between unpacking boxes and throwing out trash, spend 15 minutes here and there doing some of your relaxation techniques to keep you running smoothly throughout the day.
This will eventually become a habit so that even after you’ve unpacked and organized your house, you can keep up the routine on a day-to-day basis after you’re relocated and settled in.
Embracing the opportunity for personal growth and resilience
Whenever you have a big life-changing event like relocating to a new home, you’re bound to learn some new things about yourself. This is an opportunity for personal growth and development.
Maybe you’re learning new techniques for decluttering and simplifying your life. Maybe you’re seeing how strong you can be your family during such a stressful time. Either way, you’re going to make it out on the other side a stronger and more confident person.
If you have a relocation coming up or are you recently moved into your new house and you’re still struggling, remember to keep in mind some of these tips to help you during this transition. As a woman it’s extremely important to prioritize your self care.
You’re normally putting everyone else first, and you can’t improve the quality of your life if you’re not taking care of your own life. I’m confident that by your incorporating some of these techniques, you’re bound to have a much more enjoyable experience during your home relocation.
