Hello guys and welcome back to my little corner of Arthur’s Place.
Some of you may have read my blog post a few weeks ago about moving home. Now my situation of moving is happening rather fast! I have only four weeks to sort everything out, hence why I have been quiet on my blog.
But I thought this week I would write about how to make packing up a home as stress-free as possible, when also dealing with chronic pain.
Before now I have only ever moved with my mum and dad, and my dad dealt with pretty much everything – all I had to do was pack a few bits in my room. So, for me and mum this move is all a little daunting to say the least. Thankfully, our new home is only a stone’s throw from our current home, which has made it slightly easier, but it’s no walk in the park by any means.
When we started, the thought of packing up our whole life in four weeks was worrying to say the least. Two women trying to lift and carry things down the stairs, with me being unable to help much due to a flare, is going to take some forward thinking!!
So, here are a few tips on how to move and pack, when suffering with arthritis, to make the whole process a little less painful, stressful and less expensive!
1/ If, like me, even the thought of packing everything gives you a headache, then start small and slow – I can’t stress this enough. I was so overwhelmed when I looked at the whole picture, and was panicking. We have four weeks to pack, I have university exams, all-in-all it’s a stressful time! But we decided to approach it strategically.
We only got a date to move a week ago, but we started packing as soon as things got serious. We packed things that were not needed in the near future, and started with one room at a time. I started in the smallest room, and worked my way up.
This got a little challenging as we live in a very small flat, but luckily the person we are buying from is letting us use his garage, which is a massive help. We got boxes from our local supermarkets (banana boxes are the best as they are very strong and have handles which make it a little easier to carry) and when we saw plastic storage boxes on offer we started buying as they are good for storing clothes etc.
As it stands now, one and a half weeks before we move, all we have left to do is the large items of furniture, clothing and the small attic. 99% of the other stuff is packed, meaning all we need to do on moving day is lift boxes and fragile items into the new house, and get some help from a man in a van (which is much much cheaper then removal companies-ours came out 80% cheaper) to lift beds and other heavy appliances for us.
2/ When you pack make sure you are sitting comfortably and not contorting your body in an awkward way. When I pack now I sit with my back against something for support, as I suffer with bad back pain, and make sure I had support for my hips and anywhere else that felt achy.
Also, make sure everything you need is to hand, to save you getting up and down which in itself is exhausting. And if needed take pain control. I made a mistake and went full-go into packing, bending, lifting and all sorts without preparing first, resulting in me not being able to move the day after from being in so much pain!
3/ If you have friends or family that can help, get them all involved. We are blessed enough to have a wonderful group of friends who have all offered to help on moving day because they know it is hard for me. We put a post on Facebook (myself and my mum) when we had the moving date, and most have said they would help. Which is great as it saves money as well as becomes a fun and different experience to share with your friends.
4/ Have a plan for moving day. In our current flat, there are nine very precarious steps leading in and out of the house, and I can’t get up or down them even on a good day!! So, I have taken on the role of making tea and coffee (and cake of course) for all our friends and the movers on the day and I will stay in the new home telling everyone where things need to go. There are no steps there, which means I am safe and not causing myself any more pain than I need to. It means I can be a part of the move and not just stand there wishing I could help.
So there you have it, a few of my tips I have gathered from trial and error. The thought of moving can be a little scary at first, but if you take it in bite-sized pieces, and don’t think of the big picture to start off with, it becomes a little less overwhelming.
Until next time,
Lottie xo
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(Any opinions expressed in Charlotte’s blog are not necessarily shared by Arthur’s Place. Nothing that you read in Chalotte’s blog constitutes medical advice.)
