Tips for Helping Your Family Adjust to the Big Move

Moving is ranked as one of the single most stressful things you’ll ever do, and for good reasons. Packing your home, saying goodbye to your friends and family, the actual moving process – all of these take their toll.

However, the stress doesn’t evaporate once you’ve reached your new home. Whether you’re doing a local move, long distance to the other side of the country, or even international moving, the stress of moving often continues well after you’ve reached your destination.

Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to help your family adjust to the big move.

Know the Lay of the Land

Before the move, make sure you map out what there is to do in your new home. Locate parks where you can take the kids.

Identify potential places to eat. Jot down the names of local shopping malls. Once you arrive, take a break from the unpacking to go do something normal – have a meal together, or go to the park for a couple of hours.

By getting “back to normal”, you help alleviate some of the stress from the move.

Keep Your Hobbies

Most of us have things we love to do outside of work or the home. Maybe you’re a jogger. Perhaps your son loves to fly model airplanes.

Maybe your daughter is a skateboarder. Locate areas where you and your family can engage in those activities, and then make time to do them.

This fosters a sense of continuity – that while you might be in a new place, life still goes on much as it did before.

Stay In Touch

It’s important for anyone who’s moved to maintain ties to their friends and family. This is particularly true for children, but adults will benefit as well. Keep in touch.

Do more than just say you’ll call or write or email – do it. By staying in touch with people who matter, you maintain those bonds.

If possible, schedule time to actually see those people in person.

Be Ready to Make New Friends

If you and your family are so wrapped up in the move (and the often negative feelings that come from having to uproot your life), then you’ll be less likely to recognize the opportunity to make new friends and connections.

However, if you can remain open-minded, it can be surprisingly easy to make new friends that will help speed the adjustment process.

Whether you’re moving on your own or with your entire family, the tips above will help make adjusting to the big move simpler and easier.