Empty Nest Syndrome: What is it (and Why Should You Take It Seriously)

Last updated on September 26th, 2023 at 01:00 pm

The human mind is full of temporary and permanent feelings.

Some of the feelings when occurring at a deeper level, become syndrome.

Empty nest syndrome is the feeling parents (mostly mothers) go through when the children move out somewhere else.

This often is unrecognized and given less importance.

However, it is always recommended to seek help if the problem is serious.

An adult child may have reasons to move out of the home.

Upset parents may find sources of support.

Many a time the empty nest syndrome is compounded by events like retirement and menopause.

Parents often get worried about their children’s safety, if they can take care of themselves.

Mothers with strongly attached to their responsibilities as nurturers go through the syndrome more.

What is Empty Nest Syndrome?

Studies show two contradictory results about the issue.

Parents with an empty nest syndrome deal with a profound sense of loss.

It makes them prone to depression, addiction, identity crisis, and even marital conflicts.

While in another hand the leaving home of a child provides parents with benefits like reconnecting to each other, improving the quality of their marriage, rekindling quality time which they previously missed due to homely responsibilities.

It is natural to face emotional downs for parents whose lives revolve around the lives of their offsprings.

But like other problems, this too has solutions.

In today’s article, we will discuss the symptoms and solutions of empty nest syndrome.

What Happens With Parents?

Parents often lose noted purposes as their child leaves the home.

Their days filled with activities related to children go off suddenly.

But the good thing is it gets adjusted after a period.

They find new purposes to pursue.

It does not feel as empty as in the beginning.

As they accept the situation that the change is inevitable and also for some good.

Life goes on when you allow yourself to lose control over a situation and over your children.

There comes a time when children start doing their own staffs.

Allowing them to do so is a part of healthy parenting.

In fact, this is the time your child starts using the skills, lessons, and values practically that you have taught them for years.

For parents, this is the time to encourage them to be more responsible.

Your role then becomes of an advisor with the best intention.

Embrace The Green Bliss:

The lack of control over matters causes frustration.

It is not very easy to call off years old activities.

This can be handled by adding some new habits to life.

Pursue the interest that you have always wanted to do.

Brush up the old skills of your young days.

Start practicing hobbies like gardening, knitting, painting, writing.

A good way to start some creative jobs is to think of the outcome.

You have plenty of time now.

Why don’t add some color to life?

Gardening will return you beautiful flowers and fruits.

Taking care of the greens never goes in vain.

The outcome is more blissful than the effort put into it.

It feels great to add more life to the universe while having more time in life itself.

Every blossoming flower is a smile of nature.

Every fruit that grows in your garden is a ‘thanks-giving from nature.

Delicious fruits or vegetables are an addition to your nutrition and a good diet!

It’s amazing if it is grown by your own hands!

Reconnect:

When your kids are out of home and start taking life by themselves, it’s your time to reconnect and renew the connections.

Bring more life to the marital connection.

Attain those activities that you and your spouse have been missing due to parental duties.

This period of leisure is actually the time for brushing up the chemistry.

Go out for a nice dinner, for a movie, and for a pilgrimage.

Cherish your spiritual interest is something that would give much peace to mind.

You can take your old school or college friends along.

With similar-minded friends, making memories and traveling to new places is more fun.

Spend time with the neighbors who have experience of sending their offspring to other places for study or jobs.

Those who faced the same situation and overcame that with grace may give better counseling.

Accept the change and take a travel to the time machine.

Embrace the good old time and redo the things you loved.

Engage your retired friends in the activities also.

As it is always more fun with friends.

It can be as simple as a morning walk to the nearby riverside.

Connecting to nature and close people will help you feel less stressed and cope up with empty nest syndrome.

Join a Class:

It is never too late to learn new things.

It’s neither late to make people learn.

Sharing and exchanging ideas, knowledge, and skills are always a welcoming philanthropic step.

Arrange classes if you want to share your knowledge or join one to learn new things.

Teaching young children certain skills are a good way to utilize your free time.

It can be teaching the subject you did your specialization in academics.

Extracurricular activities like piano or guitar playing, drawing, recitation, or crafts making classes will add purpose to your leisure time.

If you do not have expertise.

Enroll your own name in the classes.

Nurturing soft skills and hobbies will give a good feeling.

The staff you make at craft class, soft toy making class, or new cooking class can actually be a nice gift for your child who stays in a different city.

Picking a new interest and pursue it gives a purpose to live.

Keep in Touch:

Even if the young minds are physically in different cities, but they are never away from your guidance.

Now where they are settling down for a new routine, they might need your advice in cooking, washing clothes, dealing with new people, and everything that comes their way.

Besides doing it their way, they shall be needing your compassionate, wise guidance to make better choices in life.

It is best to accept the timing and avoiding comparison.

Keep in close touch with your kids.

They might need your guidance from time to time.

Catch up through phone calls, face time, text messages.

Staying positive is key.

Seek support and share your feelings with those who have sent their children to stay apart.

They have ideas on how to guide the children who are not living with them.

Prepare And Seek Help According to Your Needs:

As per psychology, it is better to have some mental preparation before the day arrives when the children leave the home.

Emotion is and will always be there.

But there is nothing wrong with preparing yourself for the upcoming changes in advance.

It makes the matter easy for both children and parents.

Seeing a vulnerable parent won’t be pleasing for a child either.

This adjustment can be through self-help or via a professional one.

Empty nest syndrome happens to people and there are therapists out there to lean a helping hand.

Seek one if you really struggle with it.

Expand Your Role:

Look for the new opportunities waiting ahead.

There are many things to do to overcome the problem of Empty Nest Syndrome.

We make connections throughout your life.

When the responsibility as parents is not occupying fully anymore, nurture the other relations that matter.

Spend time with the community, or association you are a part of.

Participate in socio-cultural initiatives, visit your relatives and invite them to your place.

You have been a child, a sibling, a cousin, a son or daughter-in-law, a nephew or niece to people.

Nurture and renew these closely knitted relations once again.

Take this period of life as an opportunity of making the bonds stronger.

It is man-to-man relations that really counts.

If you are a pet parent, it is time to spend more time with your four-legged beloved one.

Pets are those who love us unconditionally.

Spending time with them is never time wasted.

Instead, a joyful pet will much decrease the possibilities of empty nest syndrome.

With pets, the nest is not really empty.

Do Something Positive:

Our identity has a lot to do with what role we play in life.

The larger the role is, the more significance it has in life.

Being parents is undoubtedly part of our identity.

When the last child leaves the home, the parents go through a profound sense of emptiness.

It is essential to replace those aspects in one way or other.

The interest to live and see the next day ahead has to be there.

Any feeling of sadness even traumas are temporary.

This emotional illness can be healed with time.

A very good way to deal with empty nest syndrome is to go out and look for other children who can be benefitted from you.

Doing your part in social work is a humanitarian step.

There are many underprivileged children deprived of a comfortable life.

They hardly get all of the basic human fecilities.

Arranging a treat, a free coaching class, give away some clothes would be great ideas.

While being away from your own children, this way you can bring smiles to other children’s faces.

This is something that may set an example for all & give your children to feel proud.

The sense that you cause the smile to some other children will bring back the smile to your own face as well.

This is an easy but strongly recommended way to escape empty nest syndrome.

Increase awareness:

Increasing awareness is such an important thing.

For one’s own self and for others.

The crisis that people go through is something they often grow through.

Sooner or later children and parents make their way for life.

Today in most cases it is the emotional bond that keeps the family connected.

A very sincere way is to face the changes and learn how o overcome them.

The changes are not always bad.

In fact most of the time they are for better tomorrow only.

Any syndrome, psychological issues happen due to the way we think.

Changing the thinking pattern solves half of the problems.

Be happy that your children are grown up.

Have faith that your upbringing cultivated the ability in them to handle what life is offering further.

They not only are bound to but need to get allowed to do their own staff.

Doing so makes them emotionally independent.

That also releases you from steadfast parental responsibilities.

Conclusion: