Blog 25
The DAY after you move, you feel a sense of relief and exhaustion. LOTS OF EXHAUSTION. The WEEK after you move, you feel and do a lot of things. Here are a few you may experience!
Work, Work, Work - This is the most common theme the week after you get into your new place. You seem to be busy working all the time. Working at getting settled in, working at your job, taking care of your family. It's never ending. After that brief sense of relief that you are MOVED, the mayhem of ongoing business ensues. Be as prepared as you can, but, some things you just seem to ride rather than control! Hang on tight and know that it won't be like that forever!
Hiccups and Adjustments - Speaking of rides...Usually the first week you are moved you experience some things not going your way. Something doesn't work right or something is really different than it was before and you find that its going to take a bit of adjusting. Maybe your cable wasn't hooked up like they promised it would be or an appliance isn't working well. Maybe your kids come home after school all upset and hating where they are or your spouse hates his or her new job (the reason you moved in the first place!). It may be just about anything. It will happen. You can't control these sort of issues, but, you can control how you respond to them. If you know more than likely it will happen, then you know someone went through something like that and survived. You will adjust and you will survive. It will just take more than the first week to happen. Be patient. Things can be fixed, you will learn a new way of doing things and your family will adjust to their new surroundings as well. I promise.
Expectations and Assumptions - We all have ideas of how things are going to be when we get moved in our new house! We all can picture it perfectly and just KNOW how we will feel. We assume that since we had things working a certain way in our other house, it will just cross over to the new one and work just as well. But, usually our knowing our new place WILL be better, clouds our judgment of how long it will take for our feelings to catch up with our head knowledge of what is "better". Give yourself time for this to happen. Don't be so harsh on yourself when you are a little let down that the new house isn't the "be all, end all" to all your problems and issues. It's just a different place. It's not a miracle place full of magic and wonder. If you feel down and blue after you move, take time to figure out why. Sometimes, it's just the letting go of the old place. Sometimes, you may be sad just because you are so exhausted from the weeks of work and your body is just "letting down". Put aside expectations and don't assume anything. Each situation is different. If you remain flexible, you will bend when you need to and not break.
Moods and 'Tudes - Be prepared for your mood to be different and your family's mood too. Everything is new and it can catch you off guard. When kids feel weird, a lot of times it's expressed in their attitudes. I am not saying you should accept Jr being a smart alec, but, if your family member starts acting really out of character and upset a lot, keep it in perspective as to what all has just happened in their lives. Don't think that they will forever be changed from a move--they aren't always going to be horrible--they are adjusting too. The 'tude may be covering up some sadness or fear they may have. Keep communicating and loving them and remember "this too shall pass".
What Comes Next? - Well, the living of life comes next! In the first week, you probably won't have everything exactly where you want it (you may have boxes for a while) and weeks two and three may feel a lot like week one, but before you know it, you will be settled and have a routine like you did before the whole moving mess started. It will sneak up on you....some day you will just feel normal again. THAT will be a good day!
Next week I'll share some practical tips on unpacking your belongings and setting up your home.
Until then!
Jen Lush, Realtor Assistant and Realtor Mother
