Moving Is Energetic. Here’s How to Move Without Carrying It All With You

The top five most stressful life events include:

 Death of a loved one.

 Divorce.

 Moving.

 Major illness or injury.

 Job loss.

Moving is considered one of the top five most stressful life events. It ranks third,

after the death of a loved one and divorce. Since I’d rather move than experience

the latter two, I thought I would begin my “Top 3 Stressful Life Events” blog

series with moving. Sadly, I have experienced the other two—and I’ll write about

those in the future.

I’ve moved more times than I care to admit—for joy and adventure, and also

through sadness filled with regret. I’ll share a few pointers from my experience as

a former professional home stager, along with how intention and prayer can help

support the process.

Moving sucks. There, I said it.

So how do you make it better?

If you have a lot of time—plan it out.

If you only have a little time—plan it out.

(Reader: not helpful.)

But it is.

As soon as you have even an inkling that you might move, start decluttering,

sorting, and cleaning. There are countless methods out there—choose one, stick

to it, and keep going. The last thing you want is to unpack “stuff” you don’t even

want to keep. When you hold onto it, you’re also holding onto the stagnant, heavy

energy associated with those items.

When sorting, I love the idea of holding an object and asking if it brings you joy

(thank you, Marie Kondo). If something once brought me joy but no longer serves

a purpose, I thank it—and then consciously decide where it will go next. The

donate, toss, and keep method is simple and very effective.

When it came time to sell my house, I pulled out all the stops.

I began with a clear intention: to sell my house quickly and for top dollar. I found

an amazing real estate agent and got to work staging. Try googling home staging

DIY tips. People don’t want to see your personal photos and they have enough of

their own clutter to think about—so remove yours. A clean, tidy home will always

sell faster and for a higher price.

I reinforced my intention with action and prayer. I wanted God/The Universe to

know I meant business. I bought moving boxes and tape and started packing

immediately. I walked through each room, thanking my home for being such a

beautiful place for my family. In essence, I said goodbye. I prayed the Novena to

St. Joseph to help sell the house—and yes, I buried the statue. I visualized a new

family enjoying the space just as we had. I saw the “SOLD” sign. I felt the relief of

the last box being loaded onto the moving truck.

Then came the miracle.

On the first day the house went on the market, we had two showings. I had been

up early getting everything ready. After the kids left for school, I made the beds

and said a prayer, inviting welcoming, positive energy to flow through the home

all day.

The very first people who walked through the door bought it. On day one. And

they wanted a quick closing.

Because I had already started packing well before listing the house, I was halfway

done. That preparation made all the difference.

It’s a shame we can’t just wave a magic wand and have it all done for us. Even if

you hire packers, they pack everything—broken items, mismatched

pieces—because their job is simply to pack.

Doing as much as you can ahead of time is essential. It gives you space to

breathe, to take breaks, and to be intentional with what you bring into your next

chapter. And as tempting as it may be to sweep everything into a box at the last

minute—don’t.

Your future self will thank you.