Eric’s Blog

I keep telling myself that it’s going to be okay. I keep telling myself that I just need to do one thing, then one more. I keep telling myself to put one foot in front of the other. I keep telling myself that it’s going to be okay. I keep telling myself these things, but myself doesn’t seem to want to listen.

Moving is stressful, there are so many things to think about, to do, and to worry about.

What does the timeline for my move look like? Will I be able to move all at once, or will my stuff have to be put into storage before it reaches its final destination? How much is this move going to cost me? Will there be enough room in the moving truck for all my stuff? What if I go over my weight limits? (Really, only a problem if you ever did a move in the military). What if my stuff gets broken, damaged, or goes missing? Do I need insurance on my things while they’re being moved and while they’re in storage? What do I need to keep with me while my stuff is in storage? What do I do with all the things that can’t go into storage like flammable chemicals, or guns and ammunition?

All these thoughts and feelings plus more fly through my consciousness at a wearisome frequency and intensity; it’s exhausting!

There are times that I become overwhelmed with everything that needs to happen and everything I’m thinking about that I can’t get anything accomplished at all. It’s like a form of paralysis or decision fatigue. My brain and body shut down and I can’t do anything but sit there and freak out about all the things that need to happen to successfully complete this move.

Taking time for ourselves has been super helpful and important to our mental well-being.

The other day, we’d been working on the move all day long. We had to go to Lowes to pick up more moving totes and it was also close to supper time, so we stopped at Hardees and got some burgers. Spontaneously, we decided to take the food over to the park and have a picnic. I grabbed a moving blanket out of the truck and put it on the ground next to the lake and we sat down to eat. It was delightful. We didn’t talk about anything important, we just sat under a tree, next to the lake, munching on burgers and fries, soaking in the beauty all around us and watched the turtles poke their heads out of the water every once in a while. It was like a reset button for life. It’s amazing how much an hour in a natural setting can recharge your batteries.

Not overdoing it in the heat of the summer has been good for our physical well-being.

Taking our time during the move and not trying to get it all done in one day reduces both mental and physical stress. Moving a few things, then taking a few minutes to catch our breath, sip some water, and cool down in the air conditioning keeps us fresh throughout the day. We try to think of it as a marathon, not a sprint.

I felt a foot cramp starting the other day, so we bought some bananas to keep our potassium levels up during the physical exertion is a good preventative for cramps.

A friend once told me that cramps are indicative of a lack of stretching, hydration, or potassium.

The biggest thing we’ve done to help ourselves is to be kind to ourselves.

Yes, people are amazing, we are capable of pushing ourselves to extreme levels. That doesn’t mean we should do this all the time. It’s okay to do a few things and then take a step backwards, review what we’ve done and be proud of our accomplishments. The other day, I went through my entire closet, tried everything on, then sorted into one of three piles. One pile was for clothes that don’t fit any longer and need to be donated. Another pile was for clothes that do fit but are destined to go into storage. The final pile was for clothes that I wanted to keep with me for work and play while we’re waiting for the house to be built. It wasn’t a difficult task, but it took time, and it was something that needed to be accomplished. I could have stressed over all the things I didn’t complete while I was working on the closet, instead, I chose to be proud of accomplishing that one task.

When I was done, I took a few minutes to re-cage my brain, then, I started working on another task. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Hopefully, if I keep doing this, I’ll be able to accomplish all the things that need to be done, and I’ll find myself on the backside of this move.

The real trick is keeping myself focused on the task at hand and not allowing myself to freak out about all of the things that need to be done.