Empty Nesting is one of life’s most challenging transitions and somehow you want to believe you are the only one feeling a sense of loss, a lack of purpose, and an identity crisis as your kids prepare to head off to college this fall.

You’re not a unicorn.

You’re a human experiencing all the emotions that come with a big life transition.

And those emotions are not unique to you.

Stay at home moms and dads experience them.

So do professional men and women.

So do CEOs and celebrities – thank you Gwyneth Paltrow for highlighting the struggle you’re experiencing.

We all experience them because we are humans with thoughts and emotions about any significant change that happens in our lives.

So what do you do about it?

First, you need to know there are 3 stages to empty nesting.

Grief, Relief, and Joy.

The stages are not linear and there is no common timeline for going through them.

Some people jump straight to joy while others stay in grief for an extended period of time.

And others will go from grief to relief only to fall back into grief at that first college vacation.

Knowing the stages is helpful to understanding the journey.

Here’s the prescription I recommend when working with clients.

Examine what is going on in your heart and your head. Being a human means you will experience thoughts and feelings about everything in your life. The trouble starts when you do nothing about what you are experiencing.

Discover who you are now that you aren’t parenting 24/7. You might see yourself as your child’s mom or dad and have forgotten you are a person, too. Someone that has dreams and goals of your own outside of being a parent to your child.

Answer the question “What do I want to do now?” Your child is beginning a journey where they will answer the question “what do I want to do with the rest of my life?” You should do the exact same thing.

If you’re struggling to deal with the emotions of empty nesting, determining your role now, or answering the question “what now?” let’s connect.

I’m here to help.

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