Packing for a Long-Distance Move – Could you be Carrying Emotional Baggage with You?

Packing up for a long-distance move is quite a process to undergo. You are preparing to travel to a new place that you are entirely unfamiliar with, you are leaving everything you are comfortable with behind, and you have to ruffle all of your belongings and, essentially, everything you own.

While teaming up and locating quality interstate moving and storage companies will undoubtedly make the logistics of a cross-country move easier, it isn’t resolve everything. Packing up your stuff can involve packing up a few other things, which can often include emotions and unresolved feelings that you may otherwise like to leave behind you.

If you are moving out of Denver or moving into the Mile High City, chances are that you have recently made this change due to significant life events that resulted in your relocation. It certainly can go without saying that it doesn’t really matter where you go; you bring yourself with you. You cannot move away from your thoughts and feelings; trying to do so is nearly pointless. If there is one thing to prioritize leaving behind when you are moving, it is emotional baggage. You don’t want to bring all those negative emotions with you into a new place when there is a chance for fresh beginnings.

Start With Your Space

Remaining proactive and active throughout your cross-country move makes time push forward, instills confidence, and ensures peace of mind for customers. If you embrace change, it becomes easier to transition to your new neighborhood and begin building a life for yourself there, and after all, isn’t that what you are there for? When preparing for a long-distance move, look at your space and do your best to list anything and everything that needs to be completed before the move date.

Getting started is half the battle, and homing in on your tasks can positively affect your mental state during the move. Take your time moving through the process and get started early so you aren’t overwhelmed with additional tasks and rushing through everything at the last minute – this can bring up feelings of anxiousness, frustration, and stress. Your space is supposed to be where you can go and always feel comfortable, safe, and at home. When you are leaving that place and starting over somewhere new, it can feel uncomfortable, so do your very best not to hyper-focus on the future and what may be left in the past – you have the present, and you can get started on organizing what is right in front of you to clear your mind better.

Baggage Isn’t Always What You Think It Is

We all carry baggage to an extent, but it might not be exactly as you perceive it to be. Baggage can be a form of protection and provide us with explicit knowledge of the boundaries we need in our everyday lives and relationships. It can be something that has taught us lessons and allowed us to learn more about who we are as a person. On the other hand, baggage can be treacherous and highly damaging when you are lugging around negative emotions you have been trying to push through for months, years, or even decades. When undergoing a significant life change – it is easy for these things to come to the forefront of your mind, especially when moving because you are going through your belongings, memories, and general nostalgia. You must sort things out further and differentiate between positive and negative baggage and then go a little further and look at what is holding you back or what will push you forward.

Are you noticing some of the emotions that are coming up have led to negative behaviors, coping mechanisms, or habits? If you see yourself falling back into unhealthy ways, it is time to recognize what is going on, why it is triggering you, and how to work through those feelings to manage your life and emotional wellness better. You may even be holding onto material belongings associated with negative relationships or events from your past. When moving across the country – the first step is decluttering some things. Take an emotional inventory, similar to your to-do list, and use that to understand better how you are currently feeling and what you can do with those feelings, so you are not carrying them into this next chapter of your life. 

Release & Reform

Long-distance moves come with a ton of uncertainty and even fears you must overcome to ensure a successful relocation. If you are struggling with these anxieties, know that there are many others who have felt this way, and there are ways to release and transform your life as you transition into a new environment. You must release things that are not serving you mentally, emotionally, and physically. Make use of things that bring you joy, happiness and assist you with coping. Don’t second guess yourself – take the necessary steps to develop a new path for your life and your household. Try some of the following strategies:

• Cleanse your home, and try throwing out things that trigger you emotionally because it can be challenging to move on or move forward when you have a multitude of belongings that keep pulling you back to the same place.
• Look at your past with a new perspective; sometimes, it is challenging to be objective about things, and it can be easy to focus on the negative, attempt to work with a perspective, and even seek the help of a professional to do that.
• Let go, as you move into your new place, allow yourself to try out new things and meet new people, and do not let yourself be held back by fear.

Ask for Help & Find the Right Support

Changes can make your life a little crazy and make everything more interesting. When you are in the middle of transitions, it can make everything easier. Contact your support network and lean on the people close to you for anything. Relying on professional moving experts will create a smooth and stress-free environment for long-distance moves and reach out to reliable local movers in your area.

The Denver Moving Group is a family-owned and operated full-service moving company servicing Coloradans for local, long-distance, and cross-country relocation services. Their movers are there to take the logistics of moving so you can deal with any baggage you have on your plate. Long-distance moving and the changes that come with it don’t have to mean you are carrying your emotions with you – embrace the change in front of you and enjoy the adventure!