The 6 emotional stages of moving house

Moving is a rollercoaster of emotions (iStock/PA)

Alongside losing your job, a death in the family, or going through a major breakup, moving house is up there with life’s most stressful events.

Sure, you might be thrilled at the idea of having a brand new space to put your own creative stamp on, but the process of actually filling out a small mountain of forms, packing up everything you own and then inevitably smashing something valuable in the process, is never exactly fun.

If you’re planning to move out soon, here are some emotional stages to mentally prepare for…

1. Excitement

You’ve made the all-important decision to move, found the perfect property within your budget, and now you can’t wait for a fresh start.

You’ve practically turned into Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen overnight, and have already done some serious damage to your credit card picking out cute furniture, prints and rugs. Is it normal to spend all of your free time pinning inspiration to your Pinterest board? Yep, you’re excitedly obsessed.

2. Anxiety

Now that you’ve actually committed to moving, you’re starting to get serious cold feet.

All the admin costs are sickeningly stacking up, and you’re worried your new place isn’t going to feel like home. It’s a new neighbourhood to get to know and you’re feeling completely out of your depth. What if this was all one giant mistake you’re going to regret forever?

3. Stress

The only thing worse than anxiety is the stress of physically packing up everything you own. Seriously, how can one person accumulate so much stuff?

You start off feeling really organised, packing and wrapping everything neatly into boxes, but then realise you’re drastically running out of time and have to manically shove random items into errant bin bags.

You know you should probably just pull a Marie Kondo and get rid of most of it, but moving day makes you feel strangely attached to the most random things, like old cinema tickets, annoying nick-nacks and expired beauty products. This is not the zen clearout you were hoping for.

4. Rage

Inevitably, something vitally important gets packed too early – like the car key or an important form – leading to 20 minutes of ugly sobbing and a wasted hour rifling through all of your boxes. You try to keep your cool but you can’t help but shout a few angry expletives in the process. This house move is cursed.

5. Sadness

Sure, the windows were a bit dodgy, the taps were leaky and you absolutely hated the noisy neighbours, but you can’t help but feel a sudden pang of nostalgia for your old place.

Seeing the house empty for the last time feels strangely heartbreaking – you made so many great memories here, but you also know it’s time to down keys and move on.

6. Relief

There’s nothing more satisfying than flopping down on your mattress after carrying an entire house worth of furniture up several flights of stairs.

Sure, you’ll be sitting on deckchairs until the new sofa arrives, eating takeaway while the kitchen’s being redone, and you have absolutely no idea where you’ve packed anything, but you couldn’t be more content. Bring on the housewarming drinks.