Moving And The Holiday Blues

December 19, 2009

By system

When it comes the holidays, moving is not an ideal activity, even if your move has occurred several months ago. If the move has been more recent than that, then you could be setting yourself up for some significant depression.

It’s not much of a surprise as to why you might be feeling a little blue during the holiday season. Dozens of holiday songs and movies, played endlessly from Thanksgiving on, literally sing the praises of being “home” for the season. Think about it for a moment: “Home for the Holidays” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” are just two examples. And when you’re In a new place or about to move to a new place, it may not feel much like home.

Some Sources of Holiday Blues

There are a few things that can lead to having more Holiday Blues. Understanding the causes can help you find solutions. Here are some of the most common:

• Being unfamiliar in new place
• Feeling alone, potentially separated from family and friends
• Losing traditions that made you feel more festive during the Holidays
• Feeling disorganized and stressed both by the new place and the Holidays themselves
Here are a few steps you can take to try to feel less down and more festive during the season:

Holiday Blues Buster 1: Allow Yourself Some Holiday Time

Many people are simply overwhelmed with packing, moving and unpacking responsibilities as the Holidays arrive. There can be a huge temptation to simply cancel the Holiday celebration altogether. This is generally a bad idea if the Holidays have been important to you traditionally. Leave at least 20 minutes a day to focus on the traditions that have been most important to you.

Holiday Blues Buster 2: Break Out Some Holiday Decorations

If there are certain decorations or treasures that make the Holidays special to you, be sure to pack them in a specially marked box to stand out from the rest so you can find them easily. If that’s not possible, set aside some time to look through your boxes to find them and put some out. If neither of those options work, you might want to visit the local Dollar Store and get a few inexpensive decorations to put out until you can find the rest of yours.

Holiday Blues Buster 3: Visit Local Holiday Events

By getting out and participating in local holiday events, you accomplish a few things all at once:

• You get out of the house
• You get a chance to meet new people
• You take your mind off the changes and the new place

As an added bonus, since many Holiday celebrations are repeated annually, you will be building new traditions that you will be able to come back to.

Holiday Blues Buster 4: Play Some Favorite Holiday Music

Having some favorite Holiday music playing the background, even when you’re doing other things, can make you feel more festive. Be sure to pick CD’s that are your favorites so that they’re familiar and comforting.

Holiday Blues Buster 5: Keep In Communication With Family and Friends

Take advantage of email, webcams and the phone to check in with family and friends “early and often” throughout the Holiday Season. Ask lots of questions to keep the conversation going, request copies of emailed pictures of their celebrations and send them yours. One trick is to send out cards very early in the season, since this tends to help bring cards back into you.

Moving during the Holidays has its own unique challenges, but following these steps can make them feel more festive and help eliminate Holiday Blues.

More Moving Resources:

* For more FREE Moving Tips and Advice on movers, please use this link.

* By clicking here, you can also access our FREE Change of Address Guide, with tips and tricks, including how to reduce “junk mail” and virtually eliminate commercial telemarketing calls.

* Finally, get even more advice with our Moving Advice Blog.

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