Image provided by https://threemovers.com/. This is a guest post, written by Lucille Rosetti. You can find more information about her, her book Life After Death: A Wellness Guide for the Bereaved and other articles at bereaved.org. When I went through severe postpartum depression, dealing with the death of two family members was one of the many things that left me feeling overwhelmed, so when she asked to share this story on here I was totally on board. Hope some of you find it helpful…

Moving House After the Death of a Loved One

Navigating grief is a personal journey, and there’s no set time frame of when you need to approach the emotional and practical aspects surrounding the death of a loved one. Following the death of a loved one, you’ll feel raw and overwhelmed. At some stage, however, you’ll need to take steps towards creating a new life for yourself. You have to build on top of your grief in order for the rawness to disappear. One way of doing this is to move for a fresh start, which provides a change of scenery and an opportunity to move away from feeling trapped by grief.

Getting Your House Ready To Sell

There are certain steps you need to take in order to make your house more appealing to potential buyers. 

• Deep clean. Get carpets professionally cleaned and tiled areas polished.
• Paint. Wipe down walls or get them painted by a professional.
• Plumbing. Make sure that the plumbing works properly and the water pressure is good. 
• Buy light bulbs. Change lightbulbs in the house. 
• Declutter. Make your home more appealing by removing clutter. 
• Window repair. Clean all windows, and repair cracked windows and window frames. 
• Flowers. Add bunches of fresh flowers throughout the house before a viewing to entice potential buyers.
• Garden maintenance. Get a garden service to remove weeds and tidy up.

Benefits of Moving for a Fresh Start

Moving provides an opportunity to live and not merely exist in your grief-stricken comfort zone. 

Here are a few benefits: 

• New friends. Although you rely on the support of old friends, new friends don’t constantly feel sorry for you and ask repeated questions about your grieving.
• Alternate perspectives. When you move to a new place, your perspective on life might shift. 
• Career opportunities. These can provide a new focus.
• Fresh scenery. New sights and areas to explore can provide you with a new lease on life. 

Sorting Out Stuff

Sorting out a loved one’s stuff adds a whole new dimension to grief that others might not understand.  It’s important to keep a few things but to also remember that stuff is just stuff. 

Clothing and personal belongings. Invite close friends and family around to help sort through clothes, as it can trigger waves of emotion. Give them an item of clothing that reminds them of your loved one. Keep a few items for yourself for memory’s sake. 

Furniture. You might not need all your furniture, especially if you’re moving. Keep a piece that holds a lot of memories. An idea is to sell the rest, and donate the money towards a cause that your loved one was passionate about. 

Photos and memorabilia. You can always digitize old photos if there are too many. Alternatively, sort through them and hand them out to friends and family who might want them.

Paperwork and contracts. Enlist help if you need it to sort out paperwork, cancel contracts, and find passwords to accounts. 

Moving Forward

The only way out of the raw grief phase is to take small steps towards a new life. Move forward by moving to somewhere new, and embracing the new chapter. 

Visit Just Buy Her a Dress for more information about mental health and how to adjust to the world around you.

Bio: Amanda Dodson Gremillion published her first book in 2012. She began revising it in 2019 and republished it as Just Buy Her A Dress and She’ll Be Fine. The story chronicles her experience with severe postpartum OCD, anxiety and depression. Amanda is a graduate of Auburn University, and now lives in Calera, Alabama, with her husband, Jay, their daughter, Aubrie, and their two dogs, Honey Girl and Cooper. She hopes to write more books in the future. Follow Amanda’s journey on Facebook,  or twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaGremilli2 and order her book here.  Also, follow her on the Mighty here Amanda Dodson Gremillion | The Mighty Contributor or listen to her podcast here Just Buy Her A Dress and She’ll Be Fine • A podcast on Anchor . You can also find her on Instagram here Amanda Dodson Gremillion (@justbuyheradress) • Instagram photos and videos.