Moving to Start Anew After the Loss of a Loved One
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Losing a loved one tends to be a traumatic, life-changing event. You’re likely to be overwhelmed by Grief and pain. If you shared your home with them, that makes it harder still. You’re inundated with memories of them and your time together in every room and around every corner – all this while you try to somehow manage your day-to-day duties and chores.
Sometimes the best option for your overall health and mental sanity is to move house and seek a fresh start elsewhere. While it probably won’t take away from your loss, it will, at the very least, help you to function better.
This article offers advice on starting somewhere else anew after the loss of your loved one, including all the critical considerations you need to make before the move:
Why Moving might be a good choice
Moving to a new environment, whether that’s a new neighborhood or a different city altogether, can be beneficial in several ways.
- Fewer painful memories: You won’t be confronted with specific memories of your loved one anymore, whether of your time spent together at home or outside in your old haunts.
- New connections: You will have a chance to meet new people, with different life stories and histories, who may help take your mind off your loss.
- New experiences: A new home in a new city gives you a chance to have a new start in life, and maybe do all things you’ve always wanted to do but have been putting off.
Which of your loved one’s possessions should you keep?
Your loved one may have left some possessions behind. These may include meaningful items and non-meaningful ones. You may want to keep the ones that they – or you – cared about as a keepsake and donate the rest. It’s impractical to keep everything, not to mention giving stuff away can help you come to terms with the loss.
If you’re having trouble letting go of some items, you can put them in storage until you can decide what to do. Some storage centers offer discounts to new customers, so it’s not always unaffordable. For instance, there are a lot of options for storage units in San Diego, CA for as low as $77 per month.
Prepare your house for a sale
If you own a house – or your loved one did – then you will probably want to sell it before you move elsewhere. There are several steps involved with preparing the house for a sale, especially if it was owned by the deceased:
- Check the legal status of the house.
- Get all parties with a stake in the house to agree upon a sale.
- Figure out your potential profit minus expenses.
- Figure out how much tax would be owed.
- See if maintenance and upgrades are needed.
- List the house for sale and consider staging it.
- Accept an offer and close.
Note that selling a house can take months. You could rent a new place in the interim if you need to move.
You can hire services to make the move easier
Professionals can make your move simpler. For instance, a good real estate agent can sell your home and also find you a new place. Other professionals you might want to approach include cleaners, handymen, and movers. Kerb offers a Moving expense checklist that should help you figure out the potential expenses involved in making the move using professional assistance.
Moving your business to a new location
Moving a business to a new location will be a challenge, to say the least. It’s a good idea to minimize the disruption as much as possible. To this effect, some suggestions are early planning, labeling boxes carefully, setting up a remote work facility, hiring reputable movers, and having a “staggered” move – keeping your old worksite open until the new one is set up fully.
Consider your family’s safety
You’ll be starting a new life in an unknown neighborhood, in a new city or town. You can make your family feel – and be – safer by purchasing some gadgets or items like sleepers, window guards, safety gates, home security systems, baby monitors, and safety locks. It’s always a good idea to read in-depth reviews and family care advice from unbiased sources before you make any purchase to avoid problems down the road.
Don’t forget to look after yourself
Losing a loved one is stressful, as is Moving. You need to prioritize your well-being. Some suggestions are finding ways to de-stress, taking plenty of breaks, going out in nature, exercising, and asking for help. A good self-help regime will make the whole move easier and you’ll be able to settle in faster. It can also assist you in overcoming your Grief.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that Moving might not be the best option in all cases. Grief and Sympathy advises against it if you have physical problems or don’t have social support at the new location. Consider the pros and cons carefully before you make a final decision. If you do decide to move, make sure that you plan things out a few weeks in advance to make it as stress-free as possible.
About the Author: Sharon Wagner is the creator of SeniorFriendly.info and the author of the upcoming book, The Ultimate Guide to Senior-Friendly Workouts, Fitness Gear, Healthy Recipes, and More. With both her website and her book, she hopes to provide helpful tips, tricks, advice, and product recommendations that help seniors stay active and engaged as they age.
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Kathe Kline has been working with retirees for over 25 years. She discovered that Retirement is not just about money and insurance, but is also about: Social & Family; Adventure & Travel; Volunteer & Philanthropy; Spirit & Soul, Sexual issues, and Sandwich Generation issues or helping your family members as they age
This site will host the podcast interviews that we will do with people who are Rocking their own Retirement, or who provide services to you so that you can Rock Your Retirement!
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