Moving anxiety can harm a person’s perception of home, and this can affect children to a wide variety of degrees. However, just because your children might experience this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t move entirely. In fact, as a parent, it’s totally possible for you to help your child cope with moving anxiety. With the tips below and a bit of guidance and care, you’ll be able to help your child see that moving can be a helpful journey that can lead to their growth. Here’s how you can pull this off:
Talking helps a lot
One of the most important steps in the healing process that parents often forget, especially when dealing with their children, is to talk to them properly. It’s also important to talk to them while making them feel you’re taking their problems seriously. Once you get your child on the same page, you may be able to help get them to open up their problems with you. Moving anxiety usually has a lot of foundation or a “springboard” that resulted in anxiety. Identifying this, or at least letting your child know you’re there for them, can greatly help ease their worries.
Help them be familiar with the location
One of the scariest aspects of moving houses is the unfamiliarity we’ll be having with the environment. Everyone can feel this – especially children. If you move houses, you’ll likely have them change schools. This means making new friends, getting to know new places, and getting to know new environments. It makes sense for the experience to be scary. One way you can help is that, while looking for a moving company, you can take your children with you and have a trip around your new home’s neighborhood.
Get them involved in the moving process
A big cause of anxiety is the belief that we’re not in control of something. This makes us nervous during interviews or meetings, and this might be a reason why our kids feel moving anxiety. A new house means a new environment to be familiar with – a new room, a new household, a new neighborhood. Try to help them overcome this fear by giving them a sense of control over their environment – and you can start with the moving process. You can teach them to pack their own rooms, and even have them unpack their things and arrange their new room in the way that they want. This gives them a semblance of control over their new environment.
Have them accompany you on the move
It’s common tradition to have kids in a separate car or have them go somewhere else while everyone fixes where furniture should be placed, or where accessories should be put. Try to have your child watch you bring your new home to life, or at least have them help with the process. This lets them know firsthand that home is where the heart is, home is where you make it, and home is how your family defines it. Hopefully, this will also let them see that it’s okay to detach from the old house and attach new feelings of home to your new location.
Seek professional help
If you think your child’s moving anxiety is affecting the way they see themselves and the world around them in a very negative degree, it might be time to seek the help of a professional. When moving houses, you shouldn’t just consider hiring movers. If you have a child that’s really developed an attachment to your previous home, a psychologist or a mental health professional may be able to give them adequate advice on how to cope with a house move.
Moving Anxiety: You Can Help Your Children Out
Remember, with the above tips in mind, that it’s possible for you to help your children cope with moving anxiety. As a parent, it’s important to always let your children know that it’s possible for them to overcome the stresses of moving homes – it’s with your constant guidance, care, and love that can help them ease up and be more acquainted with their new home.
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