Fill your empty nest with the promise of new life

If your child has just gone off to college, or left home for their own place, and you have no more kids at home, you can find yourself struggling with unexpected feelings of grief. You may chide yourself : "Nobody died!" Your days can feel empty and without direction. You wonder what the point of your life is, now they have gone…

You raised your children to fly the nest - so why do you feel so sad?

When you start raising a family, empty nests are the last thing on your mind. As you care for them as infants, delighting in their every step, you don't think of them walking away from you. Seeing them through school, you don't think of them learning to do without you. Yes, you may have wonderful dreams of what they will be and do in future - but somehow you manage to skip over the bit where they leave home.

Parenting can fill up all the space in your life

And anyway, raising a family is such an all consuming endeavor, taking all your time and energy, that you really have no time to think about what will happen when they go. You are focused on just getting them there, and don't look beyond.

So it can come as something of a shock to find yourself standing in an empty bedroom (so unusually tidy and clean) with tears running down your cheeks. What is the matter with you?

The empty nest marks the end of an era

The fact is, these reactions are perfectly normal. When a major change occurs in your life, however positive, there are always losses as well as gains. It's wonderful to know that your child is now ready to make their own way in the world. But it means that you lose that special intimacy that belongs to the time of dependence.

It's great that they can now make their own plans and arrangements and shift for themselves. But it means that you need to find something new for you to direct your energies towards, as 'parenting' is no longer required.

Getting used to the empty nest

And when there are losses, it's perfectly normal to grieve for them. Grieving is not a bad thing - it is how we cope with loss, and come to terms with it, and then move on.

So go easy on yourself when you face this watershed in your life. Let yourself feel the sadness, even while you rejoice for your child's progress in life. Set aside time to focus on the memories, rather than letting grief swamp your day. Begin to think about what you would like to do now that you are no longer responsible for them.

Take time out to help yourself

Empty nest syndrome offers you an opportunity to ease your journey through the process of letting go. Taking time out to relax and let yourself be carried away on a hypnotic journey will relieve the burden and refresh you. Empty nest syndrome will spark a fresh spring of creativity inside you, and surprise you with the possibilities that await you.

Download Empty nest syndrome and discover that life is just beginning.