Welcome to Europe! Moving to a new country has its fair share of mixed emotions. From the excitement of discovering a new environment and culture to sheer exhaustion from all the preparation, especially if you are moving away with children. The change can be quite abrupt and scary for children and as they may lack the vocabulary or emotional maturity to express how they feel, they may instead ‘’act out’’ how they are feeling. Remember that this is all very normal and we would like to offer some tips on how to deal with this transitory stress.
Help your children recognize and verbalize their emotions through dialogue, drawings and play. Emotions Charts [1] can serve as a visual aid.
Maintain usual house rules and routines as much as possible. Familiar books, objects and bedtime rituals can help them feel secure in this transition.
Try to unpack and arrange your children’s rooms first. Engage your children in the process, allowing them to participate and decorate according to their age and interests.
Schedule individual, couple and family time. Set aside some “me time” for relaxation, exercise and leisure, “date nights” and family fun time.
Create a to-do list, prioritize and delegate. Several good smartphone applications [2] out there can help and can allow you to set up reoccurring tasks and to ‘’dispatch’’ tasks between family members. Try to break down tasks into small, easily achievable goals and set realistic time frames. Remember to reward yourself for accomplished goals!
Accept help. CAF and MFS have several resources and programs available to you that can help ease this transition.
Speak to a counsellor. Both the military and MFS have social workers available to support you. You can find contact information at https://cfmws.ca/europe/mental-health-contacts-in-europe.
[1] Some available here
[2] for example: Any.do, Remember the Milk, Todoist, Wunderlist, etc.