The 10 Fears of Moving Out: Conquer Your Fear of Moving
Are you scared of the upcoming house move?
Moving house is viewed as a major event in a person’s life. And as such, it’s normal for you to be afraid of moving out because that move will not only take you way out of your comfort zone, but it will also introduce plenty of changes in your life – some for the better, and some… for the worse.
There are many things to be scared of when moving out – starting from the fear of moving away from home and ending with the fear of the unknown after the move is already a fact.
And regardless of whether you’re moving out for the first time or whether you’ve moved house before, the fear-inducing factors will still be there, forcing you to fear this and fear that during a move when, in reality, most house moving fears are largely unfounded.
The truth is that you don’t have to be scared of anything while getting ready to move out. But if you do, then it’s important that you face your fears without delay and try to figure out a way to overcome them before it’s too late.
Here are the top 10 fears of moving house and some advice on how to overcome the fear of moving out.
1. Fear of moving away from home
In most cases, you’ll be moving away from a place that you call your home. It’s a place you know really well, a house or an apartment that you may have come to love with time – a shelter from the big bad world outside that have provided you with all the comforts you need.
Surely you have had plenty of happy memories and positive emotions in that home, and you’ve arranged it to your impeccable taste. It’s the haven you go back to after a hard day at work to get some well-deserved rest and recharge your batteries for yet another battle.
And now you’re about to leave that sanctuary and you’re starting to realize that the fear moving away from home is quite real and not only a myth. In fact, you’re leaving something very familiar for something definitely unknown and perhaps largely strange too.
And what if you never get to feel right in that new place you’re moving into? What if you never get to call it your home?
Saying proper goodbye to your old home could help a bit but it’s the strong belief that you’ll feel even happier in the new place that should enable you to overcome the fear of moving out for the first time.
10 Tips for moving out for the first time
2. Fear of moving away from family and friends
You may be afraid to move away from home, especially when you’re moving out for the first time, but the mere thought of having to move away from family and friends will strike fear into your heart.
Few things can match the dreadful feeling of having to leave behind some of your family members and good friends. You just know that you’re going to miss terribly all those people you care so much about. In fact, moving away from friends and family will be the hardest thing you’ll have to do during the entire house moving process.
The thing about being afraid to move away from family and friends is that the move should not be the end of your relationships with your loved ones. Your best friends will remain your best friends regardless of the distance and it’ll be up to you and them to find a good way to keep in touch.
The great news is that there are so many ways to stay connected with the people you miss after the move – phone calls, video calls, text chats, social media, etc. – but the best way to do so remains personal visits face-to-face whenever possible.
How to say goodbye to friends when moving
3. Fear of not having enough money to move out
You may get genuinely worried whether the money you have at that moment will be enough to cover the unavoidable moving costs and expenses. If you happen to be moving out for the first time, then you won’t really have any idea how much money you will need to pull off your house move without financial problems of any sort.
Breaking your poor piggy bank is not an act of fearlessness.
In case you’ve made up your mind to move on your own – that is, without the assistance of a professional mover – then your worries may be doubled because it’s next to impossible to calculate the DIY moving expenses as precisely as you would like. Why? Do-It-Yourself moves are notorious for having a score of hidden expenses that almost always make self-moves more expensive than they appear initially.
Fight your fear of not having enough money to move out by knowing exactly how much your move will cost. When using one of the top-rated moving companies in your city or town, the pros will visit your home in person for a survey and then will provide you with accurate cost estimates.
4. Fear of not having enough time to prepare
Imagine the following scenario: it’s the morning of the move-out day, the movers are scheduled to arrive in an hour and… you’re nowhere near ready to move out. With scores of items still unpacked and critical tasks still hanging in the air, you’re genuinely afraid of how Moving day will pan out once your movers knock on the door.
It’s only normal to be worried about whether or not the time you have until Moving day will be enough to finish the long list of move-related tasks. And if you do fall behind on your moving checklist, then you may be forced to either recruit more of your friends to give you a hand or pay moving laborers to compensate for the lost time.
In some instances, you could even be forced to postpone the move-out date, which would be far from ideal.
The best way to conquer your fear of running short on time is to create a moving timeline early in the process – a personal moving checklist that will constantly inform you about your progress, especially packing progress, so that you manage your time in the best possible way.
Moving Checklist: Interactive and printable
5. Fear of being ripped off by a moving company
When moving out, you may be seriously worried that you could get scammed by a dishonest moving company. You’ve probably heard of horror stories where people get mercilessly ripped off by movers or even have their possessions held hostage by rogue movers until more ransom money is paid.
Indeed, there are shady moving companies out there that will scam people whenever they get the chance. However, as long as you’re well familiar with the red flags when choosing moving companies, it’s fairly easy to stay away from potential scammers and thus protect your move.
The fear of being scammed by movers will quickly go away once you know that requesting free quotes through our moving cost estimator will get you in touch with professional moving companies that are 100% safe to hire. All those pre-screened movers are properly licensed by the U.S. Department of Transportation and have valid USDOT numbers as proof of their legitimate status.
Research moving companies well before you hire their services to overcome one of the strongest fears when moving out – falling victim to a moving scam.
6. Fear of finding your items damaged
Another common house moving fear is to find some of your valuable possessions broken, damaged, or ruined forever when you start unboxing them in the new place. That’s especially true for valuables that are also super-delicate such as antique furniture, expensive chinaware and glassware, or priceless jewelry pieces.
As you feared, your most favorite kitchen plate did NOT survive the move.
The good news is that as long as you know how to pack fragile items for moving, you don’t really need to be afraid of whether or not you will find them in one piece. Don’t skimp on padding materials when packing delicate items – use as much packing paper and bubble wrap as you need to protect your valuables on the road.
When using professional packers and movers, picking a reputable and experienced moving company is your guarantee that your things will be in good hands. When moving true valuables, then you should consider purchasing additional insurance for peace of mind.
10 Delicate tips for packing fragile items
7. Fear of getting injured on Moving day
There is no doubt that some moving fears are more real than others. Yes, you’ll most likely be worried about the wellbeing of your household items but nothing compares to the intense fear that someone from your family, including you, could get injured during the most chaotic period of the home move – Move day.
The most common types of injuries when moving house include back injuries (pinched nerves, strains, and herniated disks) due to improper lifting of heavy objects, muscle injuries (strains, contusions, and cramps), an inguinal hernia, and various injuries to the hands, legs, fingers, and toes.
Remember that when it comes to personal injuries on Moving day, prevention is the best cure. Overcome the fear of injuries by never turning your back on safety, not for a second.
Dress appropriately for the occasion; Make sure all pathways are clear and safe to walk on; Keep young children and pets away from the action; Use proper moving equipment such as a moving dolly and furniture sliders; Recruit friends to help you carry and load heavy household objects; Hire full-service movers to stay 100% safe and injury-free.
Safety tips when moving furniture
8. Fear of inflicting property damage
During a house move, there are so many things to be worried and stressed out about that you may soon get overwhelmed by it all. Staying safe and injury-free is your number one priority, of course, but you’d also hate to see any type of damage to the property you’re leaving or the one you’re moving into. You know what property damage means – it means more money out of your own pocket, wasted on something that is perfectly preventable in the first place.
The fears of moving out can be either abstract (fear of the unknown) or specific (fear of sustaining personal injuries). And so, another excessive worry you should deal with during a move is the fear of property damage that can prove too costly in the end.
The most frequent type of property damage when moving is damaged floors (scratched or dented hardwood floors and broken tiled floors) and ruined carpets (torn or stained). Also, scratched or dented walls and chipped wall corners are quite possible unless effective safety measures are not taken. Doors and door frames are also exposed to damage, especially when you’re moving large and heavy furniture pieces or appliances.
Protect your floors, cover endangered walls and doorways, use a moving dolly and furniture sliders, cover furniture with protective blankets, and secure helpers to avoid costly property damage.
How to protect floors and carpets when moving
9. Fear of moving to a new city
Even if you like to think that you’re a fearless person, the mere thought of moving to a new city in a new state should be enough to give you at least a slight shudder of fear.
It could be months before you start to feel any type of connection to the city you just moved to.
It’s only natural that you should be somewhat afraid to move to a new city – perfectly unfamiliar and strange. Moving to a new place where you know no one will present a number of fearful challenges for you.
First of all, you won’t probably know anyone in the destination town or city, so it’ll be some time before you start creating new relationships and making friends there in the process. The chances are that nobody will know you at your new job either, so you’ll have to start work surrounded by complete strangers.
It’s never easy to adapt to a new environment – it takes patience, courage, and a bit of curiosity as well. Keep in mind that the more you get to know your new town or city, the less menacing and frightful it will seem. Don’t be afraid to get out of your hiding place and start exploring the world around you.
10 Tips for moving to a new city alone
10. Fear of making serious mistakes
People who are moving out for the first time are always afraid of making any serious mistakes that can lead to loss of money, loss of time, or both. Some house moving mistakes can have a hugely negative impact on your nervous system, causing you to worry too much or to stress out too much.
The thing is that nobody’s safe when it comes to making mistakes, and even if you’ve moved house before, or several times before, there’s just no guarantee that you’ll have the error-free house move you hope for.
Fortunately, not all mistakes will be costly, so in most cases, it’s OK to let a few (judgment) errors creep in here and there – you should still be fine in the end. For example, although not recommended, starting the packing process from the easiest rooms to pack should still be alright… as long as you have enough time until Moving day. You could even get away with something that’s really not advisable – to skip labeling your packed boxes.
However, failure to research your movers and picking the lowest cost estimate – the one that’s too good to be true – without asking yourself WHY can have serious consequences for you.
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