Moving? 10 Ways to Create a Joyful, Less-Stressed Experience

Increase your joy and lessen the stress of your upcoming move using these tips:

1. Release, release, release. Give away, sell, or donate to a worthwhile cause any item you no longer want or need. For some, this can be a daunting prospect. Set aside a specific block of time each day to pack ...Increase your joy and lessen the stress of your upcoming move using these tips:

1. Release, release, release. Give away, sell, or donate to a worthwhile cause any item you no longer want or need. For some, this can be a daunting prospect. Set aside a specific block of time each day to pack and go through each article, applying the following criteria: Do I love it? Have I used/look at this in the last six months/year? Could someone/thing else make better use of this? Moving is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate your willingness to release the old in joyous anticipation of the incoming new.

2. Consider a “clearing ritual.” Preparing your new space for move-in can involve more than the requisite physical cleaning. To prepare your home psychically, to “clear the air”, so to speak, consider a clearing or cleansing ritual. North American First Nations peoples traditionally used sagebrush to smudge an area to clear negative energies. Another idea is to create a clear intention to cleanse your space and infuse positive energies – I’ve used the phrase “love, light, and laughter.” Keep this intention with you as you clean, unpack, and set up your home.

The best rituals will be the ones you feel good about. Let your imagination soar, and ask your inner guide (higher power, higher self) what would be an appropriate clearing. Proceed with confidence, knowing that truly, it’s all happening perfectly.

3. Journal your move. If keeping some kind of daily journal isn’t part of your daily practice, I encourage you to consider taking it up, at the very least for the duration of your move. Aside from focusing you on what you want to create in your new home, journaling is a wonderful way to connect with your inner guide. One online version I highly recommend is Suzanne Solle’s online Gratitude Journal: Today I’m Thankful For, at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/TodayImGratefulFor

4. Create a word or visual picture of your ideal living space, focusing on what it would like to actually BE there. The actual physical dwelling may not be exactly what you visualized, but the individual attributes can still be present: for example, my new home is in a beautifully treed setting with ample light and a view of the mountains, several of the characteristics that were most important to me.

5. Continue to care for your physical body: get enough rest, take your vitamins and be sure to remain hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

6. Schedule loosely. Create a week by week schedule of moving-related tasks, and be flexible about completing them. Try to tackle the large projects early: getting some of the “big” things out of the way early clears your energies to focus on handling the details.

7. Enlist the support of friends, relatives and co-workers. Almost everyone knows what it’s like to move; whether it’s upstairs to a different apartment or across the country, moving entails extra work and time. Don’t be afraid to ask others for help!

8. Recharge yourself: meditate, sing, dance, walk outside – do whatever it requires to keep you from feeling burned out. Know that investing time in yourself will reap huge rewards in stress-reduction and patience on the big day.

9. Focus on the big picture: don’t become overwhelmed by detail. It WILL all get packed, moved, and unpacked eventually, so use humor to lighten things up as often as possible.

10. Remember that you are ultimately a beloved, protected, celebrated child of the Universe, bestowed with the twin powers of free will and deliberately conscious creation. A move can signal momentous changes in your life, so focus your attention and appreciation on your most positive outcome.

Happy Moving!