Even under the best circumstances, moving is A LOT. When we lived overseas, I often travelled with small children on international flights and would almost always approach a moment of panic.

Here are a few tips I learned for centering myself and moving forward amidst stress:

• Ask yourself who do you know? It’s a very American thing to be independent, but the dirty secret is that there are no awards for doing everything on your own. Take a breath and ask yourself, “Have I really tapped into my network?” You might be surprised at who is willing to help, if you just ask.

• Remind yourself that this will not last forever. It’s obvious, but it helps. In the center of stress, we often lose sight that we are not stuck forever. Moving is a temporary situation. Remind yourself when you are feeling trapped.

• Take good care. Make sure you’re meeting your body’s basic needs. Have you drank enough water? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you eating enough protein and vegetables? It can be so easy to neglect ourselves in periods of upheaval, but those fundamental things can have such an impact on our mood and mental wellbeing.

• Imagine yourself done. This is another variation on it not lasting forever. Do a few visualization exercises to be sure your brain remembers what it will look like when the job is complete.

• Give it time. Give yourself permission to feel how you’re feeling now and set a goal to check back in with yourself at a later date. Sometimes allowing yourself to just sit in your emotions and not feel pressure to change them gives your mind the space it needs to work through it all. You might just find it resolves itself without any help from you at all.

Do you have your own tips for coping? I’d love to hear them!

Be sure to check out the “How to walk kids through the transition of a move” post as it also might be helpful!