Stressful Life Events: Your Move May Be One of Them
Moving along with several other life events can produce stress. There is good stress and bad stress. Here’s a little test to see just how stressed you may or may not be. The relative stressfulness of each event is indicated by the number on the left. The most stressful life event was assigned a value of 100, and other events were assigned lower values in proportion to their effects on stress. Divorce, for example, caused stress in 73% as many individuals that experience this event as was true for the death of a spouse. Notice that change is a common factor in many of these events, often in either direction (e.g., marriage as well as divorce).

To calculate an index of the amount of stress in your life, list all the life events from this table that have affected you in the last year and add up their total scores. Persons with higher scores are much more prone to experiencing major illness or other stress-related conditions in the coming year.

STRESSFULNESS LIFE EVENT

100 Death of spouse

73 Divorce

65 Marital separation

63 Jail term

63 Death of close family member (except spouse)

53 Major personal injury or illness

50 Marriage

47 Being fired from work

45 Marital reconciliation

45 Retirement

44 Change in health of family member (not self)

40 Pregnancy

39 Sex difficulties

39 Gain of new family member

39 Business readjustment

38 Change in financial state

37 Death of close friend

36 Change to different occupation

35 Change in number of arguments with spouse

31 Mortgage over $40,000

30 Foreclosure of mortgage or loan

29 Change in responsibilities at work

29 Son or daughter leaving home

29 Trouble with in-laws

28 Outstanding personal achievement

26 Spouse begins or stops work

26 Begin or end school

25 Change in living conditions

24 Change in personal habits (self or family)

23 Trouble with boss

20 Change in work hours or conditions

20 Change in residence

20 Change in schools

19 Change in recreation

19 Change in church activities

18 Change in social activities

17 Mortgage or loan less than $40,000

16 Change in sleeping habits

15 Change in number of family get-togethers

13 Change in eating habits

13 Vacation

12 Christmas

11 Minor violations of the law

We have all experienced and continue to experience stress on varying levels. Moving is one of the biggest stressors which is why selecting a Realtor who understands your needs and who is skilled at creating smooth transactions is vastly important. Make sure you choose someone who will ease your burden whether your home move is due to a job relocation, divorce, short sale, probate, etc.

Disclaimer-All information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. You are advised to consult a reputable attorney for all legal advice or a reputable tax advisor.