What to Consider When Moving After the Death of a Loved One

Our associate Lucille Rosetti (info@thebereaved.org) recently sent us a wonderful article to use on our site. Great content. Enjoy!

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There are many reasons a person might decide to move after the loss of a loved one. Maybe your loved one passed away in your home. Maybe the memories there are too painful to bear. Or, maybe you lost an income along with the death and you find yourself needing to downsize or move closer to family. Whatever the reason, rebuilding your life and making a major move should be as stress-free as you can possibly make it.

Moving with children

If children are involved, it makes matters a little more complicated. If your move is happening during the school year, that can make it even trickier. But according to Parents.com, there are things you can do in order to make the transition a little more bearable.

• Involve the children in the planning. Let your kids make a wish list of things they might like to have in their new home, such as pink walls or a bigger backyard. Getting them excited about a new adventure can help ease their fear of change.

• Do your best to be involved with their new school. Try to meet local parents before they start. Ask the principal for a tour of the building and take them to meet their teacher one-on-one before their first day.

• Let your child pack a treasure box. This box should contain their favorite things from home, such as a doll they sleep with, family photos and their favorite blanket. They can unpack their treasure box in their new room as soon as they arrive to help them feel more comfortable.

Legal matters

If you decide to sell your home, there are some legal matters you will have to consider, such as taxes and probates. So, the most important thing you can do is to hire an attorney to make sure everything is handled properly. Because selling your home can be such a stressful event, hiring someone to handle the complicated matters can give you some much-needed peace of mind.

What to keep

If you’re downsizing a home, it is likely that you will be faced with the decision of whether or not to get rid of your loved one’s belongings. According to Psychology Today, getting rid of your loved one’s things can cause a “fear of losing even more of the loved one.”

For this reason, you need to be patient with yourself and maybe store the things you have a difficult time parting with for a period of time. Sometimes it is helpful to rent a small storage room and make the decision that you will sort through the items in a year, when you might feel more up to coping with your emotions.

The gift of time

After the death of a loved one, the best gift you can give yourself is time -- time to heal, time to move on and time to make difficult decisions. Moving will never be easy no matter how long you wait. If you are having a difficult time staying in your home because of grief, it might be best to stay with family for a while before making the big decision to sell your home and move away.

For more information about this process, contact Lucille Rosetti at info@thebereaved.org.