Prevent movingstress

Where does moving stress come from?

The Meubeltaxi is going to tell you how to prevent moving stress. Moving stress arises when you take on too much. Moving adds to the activities that already keep you busy, such as work, friends, and family. Moving requires space in your head, where it's already filled with other information you need to process. The bucket overflows due to the proverbial last straw. Fortunately, there are ways to deal with moving stress, but more on that later.

Verhuizen vraagt dus ruimte in je kop, daar waar deze al vol zit met andere informatie die je moet verwerken. De emmer loopt over door de spreekwoordelijke

druppel te veel. Gelukkig is er wel wat aan verhuisstress te doen, maar daarover straks meer.

What is stress?

Stress simply means tension or pressure. For example, a bridge can also experience stress if too much weight is placed on it. The metal comes under pressure and hairline cracks can form. So, it's a very natural phenomenon. Personal stress leads to increased tension, which is felt in the body. Stress is not always unhealthy. A distinction is made between distress and eustress.

Eustress literally means good tension, from the Greek word "eu" for good. Good stress makes you alert, focused, and efficient. Think of the tension you can feel before a sports match. You are then extra sharp. Eustress arises when there is a gap between what you have and what you want. This gap is not too large or overwhelming. Distress occurs when the gap becomes too large and is experienced as overwhelming. This experience is different for everyone. Moving stress falls under distress.


Verhuisstress Voorkomen

Are you sensitive to moving stress?

Some people are more susceptible to moving stress than others. You belong to that group if you recognize yourself in the following characteristics:

  • Perfectionism
  • So-called type A factors: ambition, performance orientation, competition, hastiness, inability to do 'nothing', often doing two things at once
  • Demanding a lot from oneself and feeling like one 'must' do certain things
  • Strong sense of responsibility
  • Deep involvement with family or work
  • Striving for approval from others
  • Difficulty saying 'no', setting boundaries, or standing up for oneself
  • Difficulty asking for support
  • Difficulty expressing feelings
  • Feeling like one has little influence over the environment and one's own life
  • Pessimism and a lack of positive outlook on one's own achievements


Recognizing and acknowledging that you are sensitive to stress is the first step in dealing with it.

Top 10: How to recognize moving stress?

Some symptoms of moving stress include:


  1. Digestive disturbances
  2. Poor sleep, fatigue, restlessness
  3. Headaches, back pain, or stiff shoulders
  4. Intense emotions like quick irritation, frustration, and easy crying
  5. Feeling unhappy and powerless, seeing things in a negative light
  6. Difficulty thinking clearly, low concentration
  7. Memory problems, forgetfulness
  8. Problem-solving skills are impaired, lack of creativity
  9. Extremely critical of others, snapping and bossy behavior towards others
  10. Excessive drinking, smoking, eating, etc.

How to prevent or reduce moving stress?

As mentioned earlier, moving stress arises when you have too much on your plate. Consider this: would you still experience moving stress if you only had your relocation to focus on? So no work, no social obligations, just attention to your move. That would free up a lot of mental space and greatly increase your ability to handle it. Therefore, the best tip is to take 2 weeks off, cancel all appointments, and focus entirely on your move.

Verhuisstress Verminderen

However, the reality for most people is unfortunately different. Work continues as usual, your family demands attention, and you still meet up with friends. What can you do to create a bit more mental space then?

  • Hang up a whiteboard or large sheets of paper and write down everything that comes to mind. By storing it outside of your head, the moving stress no longer occupies your mind. It's a mental trick that works!
  • Reduce your work hours by one day per week in the weeks leading up to the move.
  • Cancel all your social appointments in the 2 weeks before and the week after the move.
  • In summary: create space in your mind by temporarily pausing other activities and by writing down what's on your mind somewhere.

What else can you do about moving stress?

Above, some practical tips have been described to alleviate moving stress. But you can do more by working on yourself:


  • Exercise helps relax your muscles. Moving stress creates tension, so relaxation is exactly what you need. And exercise provides that relaxation, even if it's just for half an hour.
  • Take a walk. Stress resides in your mind and makes your world very small. By taking a walk, your world becomes bigger, allowing you to distance yourself from your mind more easily. Focus on what you see, the sounds you hear, and the wind on your face. A half-hour walk already helps tremendously.
  • Eat healthily. Moving stress acidifies your body, just like unhealthy eating does. An acidified body offers less resistance. So, do yourself a favor and eat an apple and a banana in the morning, and a salad in the afternoon. Drink plenty of water and little alcohol to keep your body hydrated.
  • Do nothing. Moving stress makes you think you don't have enough time because there's so much to do. By occasionally just doing nothing, you step out of that thinking mode and learn that there is indeed time.
  • Ask for help. Friends or family can help alleviate the burden. And people like to help, it's in their nature. So don't worry about that and just ask for help.


I hope you found this article on moving stress interesting. Also, check out our blog about an alternative delivery option! brenger alternatief!

Goodluck with your move!

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