Empty Nest Syndrome: How To Overcome Sadness When Your Children Leave Home?

He empty nest syndrome It affects those parents who experience feelings of loss, sadness, anxiety, pain and fear because their children have left home. This does not imply that parents have a bad relationship with their children, but rather that those who suffer from it feel empty without the presence of their children at home. How can we face this syndrome?

What is empty nest syndrome?

He empty nest syndrome It is not a mental disorder or a clinical diagnosis. Even so, it is a term that refers to those feelings that parents may feel when their children grow up and leave home.

Although there is no disorder as such, the reality is that this is a very real and sad experience for those parents who encounter the ’empty nest’ Obviously not all parents experience this when their children leave. If you think you are in a situation where you are experiencing empty nest syndrome, there are some methods that can help you overcome the sadness associated with this fact.

How does empty nest syndrome manifest?

There are a series of characteristic signs of those parents who feel a feeling of abandonment due to the move of his children. Among the most notable, psychologists highlight the following:

1. A loss of purpose: when the children leave, one of the common feelings of parents is finding themselves empty because of it. This is because raising children can take up a lot of your daily time; when this responsibility no longer exists, it is possible to experience these types of feelings.
2. Frustration due to lack of control: It is normal that when parents they stop having control over their children’s lives, experience stress because of it. This can cause parents to become overly protective of their children.
3. emotional stress: Emotional stress consists of experiencing a wide variety of emotions related to a feeling of abandonment in adults Parents who experience empty nest syndrome usually have this stress and present feelings of sadness due to the growth of their children, fear of aging, frustration, among others.
4. Relationship problems: In the process of raising children, many parents end up forgetting their relationship. It is at this moment when it remains the empty nest when parents realize that they have neglected their marriage or their relationship.
5. Anxiety: In some cases when the children leave Parents experience anxiety due to excessive worry about their lives.

These are some of the signs that may indicate that you are suffering from empty nest syndrome Over time, it will be easier to manage all the feelings as well as overcome the sadness associated with this phenomenon. Even so, if you experience a lot of stress due to this, among other related problems, it is advisable to go to a professional psychologist.

How to overcome empty nest syndrome?

If you feel that empty nest syndrome is affecting you, it is important that you consult with a professional psychologist. In addition, it is also advisable to follow the following tips.

• Find new interests: Now that you don’t have the responsibility of continuing with your children’s activities, to overcome the sadness of Empty nest You can try to recover old hobbies again. The more meaningful the activity is to you, the more it can fill you with the emptiness experienced when your children are gone.
• Go out with friends: Instead of looking for activities that involve solitude, it may be more advisable to try to do hobbies that involve interacting with others.
• Rekindle your romance: There are many cases in which parents who experience empty nest syndrome They end up divorcing or separating. This is because couples have forgotten each other for many years. Live this situation as an opportunity to rekindle the romance within the relationship.
• Get out of your comfort zone: The best method for overcome this ‘abandonment’ syndrome, it is precisely having new experiences. To do this, it is necessary to leave our comfort zone and dare to get out of our routine.
• Go to therapy: Psychological therapy can be very helpful when experiencing these feelings of emptiness. Whether you are looking to overcome the sadness related to the empty nest or the feeling of frustration in the face of this loss, psychologists are good allies to work within ourselves and see where to direct our lives after so many years working as parents.

When the children leave Many times parents may feel empty or sad due to everything that this process entails. Despite this, this event is a good opportunity to refocus on ourselves and work on ourselves.