The Nest Isn’t Empty If You Are Still In It

You’re officially an empty nester now that your last child has left the house. How do you feel? Are you ready to take on your newly changed parenting role? Or are you feeling a little down in the dumps?

Empty nest syndrome is real with feelings of sadness, depression and loneliness. Let’s see if we can get you to look at your newfound freedom in a way you may have never envisioned before. Own it! And rule the roost!

Exercise Your Parental Instinct to Help Others and Volunteer

Why is volunteering good for empty nesters?

• It’s good for your social life.
• It decreases symptoms of depression.
• It’s rewarding for the people you are helping and for yourself.
• It shows you that your instinct to be a positive force goes far beyond the life of your kids.

Is your nest feeling slightly fuller now? Let’s try another approach.

Pick a hobby!

What have you always wanted to do? Think out of the box … a Baseball stadium tour? Ballroom dancing? Cooking classes?

What are you doing in your wildest dreams? Mastering a new craft and making some extra money selling on Etsy? A total renovation of your dream workshop?

Is there something you once started to do but then stopped because you had children? Reading your favorite author? Woodworking? Antiquing?

After this general brainstorm, use some of the more specific criteria illustrated in this article to help you hone in on what hobby or hobbies will fit best into your life.

Leave the Nest Yourself and Travel

What better way is there to forget about empty nest syndrome than leaving the nest for a little while? Go somewhere brand new where your kids would never go, or revisit an old vacation spot that reminds you of the joy and adventure your kids had there. Day trips, international trips, warm trips or cold trips. Alone, with friends or with your partner. Wherever your heart desires.

Romance Anyone?

You and your partner deserve to rediscover what brought you together in the first place, all those years ago. Return to where you first met or where you got engaged. Make the effort to impress each other like you did at the beginning of your relationship. In the same way you had to be present and attentive to your children, be that way now with your significant other. You managed to adjust your romance to an environment with kids in the nest, now readjust it to one without.

How do you feel now? Looking forward to what lies ahead? Undoubtedly, your baby birds want nothing less than to see you use this time for yourself. Hold yourself to the same standard you held your kids when you taught them the principle of taking action to get what you want out of life. Who says your best years are behind you? We certainly don’t.