EMPTY
nest syndrome
LIFE ONCE YOUR CHILDREN LEAVE HOME By Mairead Molloy Relationship Psychologist MBPsS Worried about Empty Nest Syndrome? How an Empty Nest can affect parents, what you can do to prepare for the transition and how to cope.
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mpty nest syndrome is a phenomenon in which parents experience feelings of sadness and loss when the last child leaves home. If your last child is all grown up and about to leave home, or he or she has already moved out, you might be experiencing some mixed emotions. Facing an empty nest can feel strange at first, what you will notice immediately is the quiet. Internally you may be feeling adrift, experiencing an overnight loss of identity similar to other life changes such as divorce or retirement.
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Although you might actively encourage your children to become independent, the experience of letting go can be difficult. You might find it difficult to suddenly have no children at home who need your care and you may miss being a part of your children’s daily lives as well as the constant comradery. You may also worry about your children’s safety and whether they’ll be able to take care of themselves, or struggle with the transition if your last child leaves the nest a little earlier or later than you expected.
WHAT’S THE IMPACT OF EMPTY NEST SYNDROME? The main characteristics are grief, fear and worry. Empty nesters can feel an emptiness and may even begin to experience the five stages of grief.
Your life can suddenly feel ‘lost’ and you may be feeling uncertain and afraid of your life ahead. In the past, research suggested that parents dealing with empty nest syndrome experienced a profound sense of loss that might make them vulnerable to depression, alcoholism, identity crisis and marital conflicts. Recent studies suggest that an empty nest might reduce work and family conflicts and can provide parents with many other benefits. When the last child leaves home, parents have a new opportunity to reconnect with each other, improve the quality of their marriage and rekindle interests for which they previously might not have had the time for. If your last child is about to leave home and you’re worried about empty nest syndrome,
