7 Essential Tips for Moving House

Moving house? Whether you are hiring a professional mover, self-moving or some combo of the two, there are things you can do to optimize the ease and flow of your move and settling in. Here are seven essential tips for moving house.

① Declutter

Moving is a great time to review what you have accumulated and stashed away from sight. You may be surprised at what you find.

Clutter is not a friend of good Fengshui. Clutter hampers energy flow and as the environment is a reflection of our inner state (and vice versa), clutter affects and reflects our own level of inner tranquility.

Objects also hold energy. Removing them helps in clearing the space of stagnation and heaviness. Remember this about items left behind by the previous owner/tenant, gifts from past relationships, antiques, and thrift shop finds. Can’t remove them? Smudge with your favourite sacred herbs such as sage.

The key to decluttering is not to think about it but to feel your way through. Hold the item, and feel it out – stay or go. Do not start reading through old letters or flipping through magazines and photo albums. Start with two boxes – stay and go. If you are packing yourself, pack up the items you want to keep and sort out the “to go box” later for donating, recycling, trashing or selling.

For books, consider the local library, charities, schools, or if you have time/energy, organize a book swap. This can also be a good break from packing.

For big items, like furniture, you can try Craigslist or Gumtree for selling. Many charities have shops that may want things like a fridge, bed, and even mattresses. Do check with them as it is not guaranteed they will take it. They are not a dumpsite.

② Cleanse

Yes, a deep clean of the old place once you have vacated it. What about your new place? A physical clean is a good start. Use baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and essential oils for a non-toxic clean.  An energetic cleanse is essential for releasing imprints and residues from previous tenants.

Even if a professional crew has left your new home sparkling clean, before you move in, smudge the entire space, especially corners. Take your time in areas that feel heavy or sticky.

Smudging is a sacred revered ancient practice that purifies by burning dried herbs such as sage and sweetgrass. Ideally the windows are closed to allow the smoke to fill the space. This may mean disconnecting the smoke detector – be sure to re-activate it!

Your intention is powerful – use it. See the place full of light. In an apartment, see this extend beyond your own floor in all directions.

Repeat once you have moved in.

For those who are not keen on smoke or the smell of sage and other herbs, you can use sound such as music and drumming, spray water with black pepper, or symbolically sweep out the old energies.

If you or your family fall ill or become more prone to accidents after moving into a new place, call in the big guns for a real deep energetic clean. Is your new place a really old place or as they call it in the US, “stigmatized property”? History has literally layered itself on the walls and the very fabric of your place. Living in a black and white in Singapore? Definitely get someone professional to space clean.

③ Occupy Your Space

Taking ownership of your new space goes beyond signing a lease or a mortgage and moving your belongings into it.

To fully make a space your own, you have to occupy it. Physically and energetically.

After you have cleansed your space, place an object in the space, as a token of your possession. Be it a plant, a vase of fresh flowers, or a statue.

Continue to occupy the space by being in or using all the rooms. Presence can be physical or intentional.

Be sure to bless your new home. This may sound religious but it is not.

Blessing your home is simply inviting good energy into your space, and setting the intention for good health, harmony, abundance, happiness…whatever you wish for you and your family.

④ Salt Bath

Salt is incredibly cleansing. Take a bath with epsom or Himalayan salt throughout your move.

Property agents, cleaners, movers, travel agents, hotel staff (depending on your move)….probably not everyday people you come in contact with on a daily basis. You are likely under some level of stress and ungroundedness, which will make your energy field more vulnerable to conscious and subconscious intrusion. Many of these people – movers, cleaners, etc – go into people’s spaces (as a job), handling other people’s things (read: energy), and may have picked up a few energies along the way.

You will want to be cleansing that energy as it happens.

If you do not have a bathtub, simply ladle cool to room temperature water infused with salt (or lime) over your body, from head to toe.

⑤ Hydrate + Nourish

In the rush of a move, forgetting to eat or eating on the run is not uncommon. Ironically this is a time to doubly make sure you are well-hydrated and nourished. Not only will you need the strength (physical, mental, and emotional) but the additional and non-routine stress comprises your immune system, making you more susceptible to falling ill. Your focus is on the big and small details of the move, from packing and coordinating delivery to arranging pet relocation and vet visits. It is easy to forget yourself in this equation. Your usual awareness of your well-being may not there.

Stock up ahead of time, before you get really busy, with delicious healthy nutrient-dense snacks and have lots of water. Throw in some chia seeds to increase the hydration factor. Having healthy food available will help minimize reaching for low-nutrition and high-sugar food.

⑥ Say Yes

Say yes to make your life easier. If a friend offers to help, say yes. If a friend offers to bring you food, say yes.

Say yes to anything that lightens your load. Have to skip the gym? Say yes, if it means you could get a massage. Say yes to the gym if you really need to release energy or stick with your routine.

Saying yes is always to be in flow and ease, even if it means saying no to others.

⑦ Be Mindful

Your mind is probably full…of things to do. Take a few deep cleansing breaths during the day to come back to your still point. Rushing off to do things is actually less productive than allowing things to flow. This does not mean non-action, but rather directed meaningful and optimal actions that give results. Being mindful is an everyday, every moment, way of being but definitely essential during a move to help it all go smoothly.

Moving can be an exciting time. Coordinating it is stressful for many people. If you have kids or animals, if you are moving overseas, or for other reasons, that stress factor can easily multiply. Be sure to take care of yourself so that you can enjoy the process.

Try out these tips for moving house for a smooth move and good luck.