It's exhausting. But the happiest empty nesters know that the time of self-sacrifice is over and they make themselves a priority. They reach out to friends, they start new hobbies or pick up old ones, they take time for fitness. This is a time to focus on you and the happiest empty nesters do just that.
What is empty nest syndrome? Empty nest syndrome refers to the feelings of sadness, anxiety, and loss of purpose that some parents and caregivers feel when their grown children move out of the family home.
If you can't find a group you would like to join, fashion an empty nester group just as you might have started a baby group once upon a time. Find a few people who are also struggling with their new status, and begin by meeting them once a month just to chit-chat.
Similarly to anyone experiencing redundancy, the mother may feel worthless, disoriented and unsure of what meaning her future may hold. However, most mothers adapt in time. Psychologists suggest that it may take between 18 months and two years to make the successful transition from 'mum' to independent woman.
The other parent may just feel lonely because the children aren't home. Concern about the children. It's natural to be concerned about your children's education, career, and social life. Too much anxiety and worry can prevent a parent from focusing on his/her spouse and can lead to empty nest syndrome and divorce.
Accept your feelings.
If you feel sad, don't berate yourself with reminders of how proud you should feel or how well other parents are adapting. Know this feeling will lift and give yourself time. If you don't feel sad, don't let the outpouring of other parents impact you.
What are the characteristics of empty nesters? Empty nesters are typically in their later 40s, 50s and 60s.
Most well-intentioned people will suggest new hobbies. But empty nesters need time to get to know themselves. Help a friend, explore your city for fun or try an activity from your younger days. If you get really low — and know this about yourself — Caine recommends getting busy right away (try the above).
Signs of Loneliness
Younger children may: Create imaginary friends to make up for lack of real friends. Seem clingy or start asking you to play with them more than usual. Seek your attention by misbehaving, acting silly, or interrupting you when they know they shouldn't.
Plan nights out on the town.
Go have fun doing new activities as a group. These experiences will bond you all together and will give you more things to talk about in your down time. If your friends are busy, feel free to go out to dinner or a movie yourself. Enjoying one's own company is important as well.
The 25-year Itch. Plenty of couples - many of them in the public eye - are splitting up just at the very point when, with firmly established careers and without the strains of a young family, life should be awarding them more time to enjoy together.
Research proves that parents with children are happier than those without any kids only when they become empty-nesters.
Empty nest syndrome has three stages: grief, relief, and joy. In the first stage, parents tend to experience sadness, loss, loneliness, or even depression. In the second stage, parents move on to feeling relief and a sense of freedom as they develop a new rhythm of life.
For those who are full-time caretakers of the household and family, stay-at-home-mom (SAHM) burnout refers to a state of being depleted by this particularly challenging and often isolating role. Mothers are thought to be at higher risk for experiencing stress as they are typically the primary caregivers in family.
While it isn't a clinical diagnosis, it is a common phenomenon in which parents experience sadness and loneliness. They grieve the loss of a lifestyle and relationship that was part of their identity.