Dallas County Living Well Magazine July/August 2017 | Page 26

Uprooting and Moving By Georgia Smith-Lyle, MA Helpful Suggestions Moving your household can be a bitter sweet change, depending on your situ- ation and reasons for moving. Whether you are single, married, married with children, young or old, uprooting your life by moving households can be very difficult even when the change is exciting and positive. One of the major stressors in life is moving to another home. Our basic nature is to nest and be stable in our surroundings, find community and thrive where we are at home. When our home is disrupted by having to move, whether invited or not, there are definite emotional and physical impacts upon our psyche. The physical impact alone can be tiring which will have an adverse effect upon our emotions. I have moved several times in my life, and each move was a little different depending on how much planning ahead I did, how organized I tried to be, how much help I had, and to what degree I wanted to move. As a counselor, I can apply all the helpful insights and psychological preparation for moving, but the truth is to some degree, a major move will be stressful. Again, depending on your level of preparation emotionally and physically will depend on your stress level. Up to this point of reading, you may have guessed that I just recently moved! And you are correct! I so enjoy writing from my heart as a counselor and I be- lieve some of the best counsel you get is when a “counselor” goes through what you are going through. Counseling is my job but also my passion to help others, so I want to provide a few helpful and basic suggestions for those of you getting ready to move. Summer is one of the major seasons when families are moving before the beginning of a new school year. 24 DALLAS COUNTY Living Well Magazine | JULY/AUGUST 2017