Divorce brings many changes to people’s lives in Tennessee. One of these changes might include having to downsize from a large family home to a smaller space. While this process can be painful, it can also be a first step towards letting go of the past and embracing the unknown in your new life.
Reasons for downsizing
Whether your relationship with your spouse is amicable or not, you might both consider downsizing before your divorce is final. While finances often play a role in these decisions, there are other factors that will affect what you decide to do. These factors include:
- Deciding to sell the family home before finalizing the divorce
- Restructuring finances as you prepare for life post-divorce
- Divorcing after becoming empty nesters and deciding the space is too large for only one person
The process of downsizing
The process of downsizing can bring up both painful and joyous memories. A major part of the process is going through all the possessions in the home that you have acquired over a lifetime. Many of these objects might represent your hopes and dreams directly connected to your relationship with your spouse. However, many of these hopes and dreams change as the marriage ends. Deciding which possessions you will give away or get rid of can make you grieve over these lost hopes and dreams. At the same time, they might also provide an opportunity to share your past and youth with other loved ones, such as your children. Finally, this process might also help you focus on the future, uncluttered by attachments to memories and possessions.
Downsizing entails being honest about what is truly important for you, what is worth keeping, and what is worth parting from. Doing it before the divorce is final can also allow both spouses to choose the possessions that have true meaning for each of them.