Easing some common concerns about moving
If you’ve decided that ‘now’ is the right time to move into retirement living, it’s understandable if you’re experiencing some mixed emotions.
There’s the excitement of looking ahead to a fresh start, making new friends, and being part of a community of like-minded people. And of course, you might also feel a little nervous as you think about the big job of packing up a lifetime of memories, moving out of the family home, and setting up your new home in a retirement estate.
Yet there are a few ways you can make the move into retirement living a lot less worrying and stressful – most of which involve planning ahead for this next exciting stage of your life as you say goodbye to the family home and hello to your new retirement estate.
In this news post, the Kensington Gardens team share a few tips that can help make moving into this exciting new life phase as smooth and straightforward as possible.
1) Downsize and declutter your home
Even when you’re moving into a beautiful three bedroom home with plenty of living space, it’s a perfect opportunity to take stock of all the ‘stuff’ you’ve accumulated over the years, and ask yourself if you really want to pack it up... pay to move it... and then unpack it all!
Instead, you might like to have a garage sale and earn a little spare cash. You could donate larger items such as furniture to charity. Or you could take the opportunity to hand down some much-loved items to your family.
This seemingly mammoth task can be made much simpler if you start with just one wardrobe in just one room. That way, you’ll be making progress from the start – and little by little, the job will become more manageable.
2) Write down a plan – and stick to it
It’s amazing how what seems like a massive, unimaginably difficult undertaking can become much more achievable with the help of a plan.
Try writing out a checklist of everything you need to get done. Even if the job seems enormous at first, as those tasks get checked off one by one, you’ll have a feeling of accomplishment that slowly grows stronger.
3) Don’t forget to ask for help
At your stage of life, chances are you’ll have a multitude of family members, neighbours, and friends who will be more than willing to help you on this new exciting stage of your journey.
Even though you’re still feeling fully capable of looking after yourself, it’s important to give your loved ones the chance to feel fully involved in your next life stage. So make sure you ask them to contribute!
Along with asking for help comes delegating. You’ll know people who have more time, different skills or more energy than you – which means they can get some things done more easily. Make sure you allocate some specific tasks to the right people.
One last point: when people do offer you help, the answer is always: “Yes please!”
4) Remember to look after yourself
Even though you’re excited about your move, remember that you’re not 30 anymore! Leave the heavy lifting to the youngsters, and remember to take regular rest breaks and get good quality sleep each night.
Don’t forget that people will be interested to know how you’re progressing. So keep your family and friends, real estate agent, and retirement estate manager up-to-date with where things are at.
5) Pack some memories of your old home
Along with the excitement of your new home may come some wistfulness or nostalgia as you say farewell to your treasured family home. It’s ok to feel this way!
To help with the transition, try taking a few last photos of your old home, to last you through the years ahead. Old memories are good to have – as long as you don’t forget that you’ll be making new memories very soon!
6) Remember to celebrate your achievement!
Moving into a retirement estate is a great day. You deserve to celebrate your achievement!
Once you’ve made a little progress with the unpacking, why not throw a housewarming party at your new home for your family, old friends and new friends to come and celebrate with you? It’s the beginning of an exciting new phase of your life. You’ve earned it.
Like to see more of what a retirement estate can offer?
If you’re thinking of joining our Albury or Shepparton retirement communities, we’d love to meet you. Arrange your personal tour by calling us at Albury on 02 6049 3100 or Shepparton on 03 5820 5100, or get in touch with the contact form here.
