Empty nest syndrome: Five ways parents can cope after their kids leave the home

As teens head off to college and young adults move out of their childhood homes for good, parents and guardians can experience overwhelming feelings of sadness, grief and worry.

These emotions are often indicators of empty nest syndrome.

“Empty nest syndrome is really the natural and organic feelings that many people, many parents, feel when a child, especially the last child, leaves home,” Rachel Glik, a licensed professional counsellor, said.

The syndrome is not an actual clinical diagnosis, Ms Glik said, but it can persist for months.

Some signs that you may be experiencing empty nest syndrome are:

• Feelings of sadness, loneliness, depression or anxiety
• Losing interest in things you used to enjoy
• Feeling like you’ve lost your identity or sense of purpose
• Becoming preoccupied with your child who left the home
• Feelings of hopelessness about your future

Here are some suggestions Ms Glik has for caregivers experiencing empty nest syndrome.

Five ways to cope with empty nest syndrome

The best way to set yourself up for success is to plan ahead for being an empty nester, Glik says. The sooner that you can “cope ahead” by preparing yourself for your child’s inevitable leap from the nest, the better, she encourages.

“Prepare yourself by making sure that you [have] really good self care and taking care of your relationships and making sure you have other things going on in your life that will allow you to make the transition better,” Ms Glik said.

These are additional ways that you can cope with empty nest syndrome, according to Ms Glik:

Be mindful of how you view your child leaving your home. “It’s not an end to the relationship at all. In fact, it’s a continuation of your relationship,” Ms Glik said.

Find a “new baby.” If you’re a nurturer, consider becoming a mentor to other young adults or volunteering with children. You can also take the metaphorical approach and discover a new passion project.

Embrace your feelings as they come and feel gratitude about your season of child-rearing. “Appreciate that you’ve had the experience of being able to be a parent, and that can fill up some of that emptiness,” Glik says.

Invest in the other relationships in your life. If you have a partner, spend more time together and try new things that you may have otherwise been unable to do. You can also hang out with friends more often with a clearer schedule.

Be open to growth. Explore the positive side of this new chapter and tap into what you enjoy as an individual.

Seeking support from a trained professional can be vital in some cases, depending on what you’re experiencing. “If you really start noticing a loss of interest in other things in your life, and you don’t feel hopeful or excited about your future or this next chapter, those are really some signs that you might need some extra support,” Glik says.

Look at the bright side of having an ‘empty nest’

Having an empty nest isn’t all bad; it can actually lead to a new and exciting chapter for you.

Kari Cardinale, partner and chief content officer at Modern Elder Academy, a midlife wisdom school, will guide one of the first programs geared towards parents and guardians of college students on how to navigate empty nesting at Arizona State University.

Ms Cardinale believes that the empty nest stage is a “really important time to focus on the interests that you might have, whether it’s an interest in travelling and meeting other people, or interests in arts or fitness,” and to recognise that “you have more freedom” to pursue those interests.

It’s really significant to “engage in those activities with other people (and) to start building a new network of adult friendships that you can nurture for many decades to come,” she adds.

Consider activities like travelling to somewhere you’ve never been before, rock-climbing or even learning another language, Ms Cardinale suggests.

“The more fulfilled you are personally, the easier the transition is,” Ms Glik said.

This article originally published at cnbc.com.