Greetings dear Project Hope community, on this occasion I would like to share information on a topic that I believe is not very well known, but it is necessary to develop it, since it is part of the stages that families live in general. Talking with a very dear aunt, who is approaching 60 years old and whose son is already an adult, we talked about the importance for parents to prepare themselves to face the time when their children are leaving, and that commonly coincides with other changes, such as retirement. We analyzed the situation together and agreed that there are tools that can help us to adapt to this situation. That is why I decided to do a little more research on the subject. I hope that my proposal will be useful to you or someone you know who is going through this stage or is in the process of going through it.

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Let's start!

As I mentioned before, the empty nest syndrome is part of the transformation of the family cycle. It is in this phase when children leave the family home or nest to start their lives independently. With the departure of the last child, the parents become a couple again after many years dedicated to the education and care of the children.

The symptoms are similar to those that occur in any separation or lack of affection, generally the parents experience feelings of sadness, loneliness and inner emptiness, they may also consider it as boredom or an impression of having nothing to do. They are more likely to frequently relive memories of the past with nostalgia, and somehow think that they will never be happy again.

These feelings are part of the change, as long as the appropriate measures are taken to improve and overcome it, otherwise, if the change is not confronted, it can result in stronger symptoms and can lead to depression or anxiety.

To manage the empty nest syndrome, it is important to accept it and reflect on it, parents must understand that it is not something that happens overnight and must seek new activities that give meaning to their lives. If the children leave home and are able to lead their independent lives very well, the parents may consider that they have done a good job of educating them.

Source:pixabay.com

Let's review some ideas to overcome it:

1. Allow children to make their own decisions and respect them, once they are independent, promote communication with them without criticism, or scolding, this will favor that they continue united although in another way.
2. To face this stage as if it were a new learning process.
3. To get rid of the fear of being alone.
4. To take care of the link with the couple, to take advantage of this stage of reunion both with the couple and with ourselves.
5. To use free time for our desires and goals, to use creativity for new challenges and projects.
6. Strengthen ties with existing friendships and take time to cultivate new friends.
7. To practice physical exercise.

To close we can say that parents should change the way we see our children, accept that growing up and wanting to live independently far from being a tragedy for life is rather the reward of a job well done

I hope this information has been useful and that you can share it with someone you think may need it...thanks for reading!