Moving is Stressful - Self-Reg in Action!

I haven't blogged in a while as we were busy with a move last month.  We sold our house in Walkerville and moved to a smaller home out on Lake Erie. Then we found out we'd moved to an internet 'dead zone.'  After many calls to multiple internet providers we were finally able to get back online.  Thanks Xplorenet!!!

This move gave me lots of opportunities to put what I've learned about reducing stress through self-reg into action!

We got the keys to our new house late on Monday, July 10.  The new owners of our house were taking possession on July 14th which was the only day I could book movers. So we had three days to get the new house ready for move in and to finish packing up everything to move out.  The tight timeline was definitely causing me stress and so my husband and I took specific steps to reduce the stress as much as possible.

1. Asking for help - When we arrived at the new house around 5:30 pm that Monday, we were shocked to find that the previous owner left all of her food in the fridge and freezer, junk in the drawers in the kitchen, bathrooms and dining room and tons of random 'stuff' in the garage. There were holes in the wall covered with duct tape that had been hidden behind furniture during our walkthrough. Outside, she left broken furniture and more garbage. So our planned celebration turned into a four hour cleaning session. Rather than get really upset, we dealt with the problem and contacted our agent and our real estate lawyer for advise on how to proceed.  I also posted on social media just to vent and received an offer of assistance from a friend who lives nearby.  Instead of saying 'oh no, that's okay' I said "THANK YOU" and she came over and scrubbed for hours. 

2. Monitoring energy/tension levels - instead of going by the clock, we went to bed when we were tired. Even if it was still daylight outside at 9 pm, if we were exhausted we went to bed instead of trying to push on through and stay awake a bit longer.

This is how I felt by Thursday night.  

3. Breaking tasks into manageable chunks - rather than be overwhelmed at the massive packing and unpacking that needed to be done this week, we set small incremental goals like setting up the bookshelves in the office on Saturday morning.  Okay, I was still overwhelmed during the week we packed and moved - definitely high tension/low energy by Thursday.  But unpacking has been at a much more manageable pace.

4.Eliminating some jobs. We usually like to cook most of our meals and eat healthy. This week, we picked up take out salads and simple meals at the grocery store. Our original plan was to eat out but we were too tired and too dirty to go out in public!

5. Stay hydrated! Since the water cooler/ice maker function on the fridge at the new house needs to be cleaned and also needs a new filter, and we had packed the Brita water filter somewhere, we bought a case of water for us and for the movers because it was really hot. I feel a bit guilty about having a recycling bin full of water bottles but it's only for one week and it was important for us to be hydrated. If I get dehydrated, I get really tired and cranky!

Here's the house when we got the keys - food in the fridge and freezer, holes in the wall.  She left the garbage (which we put in bags, not her) but took the TV antennae and the bathroom mirrors.  

Can't wait to post some 'after' pictures later this week.