Many seniors have to deal with the empty nest. It can be difficult for parents to let go psychologically from their children especially if their lives as parents revolved around their children and their activities.
For some people, the empty nest is a relief and a chance to find new hobbies and pursue new dreams. How somebody copes with the empty nest depends upon a lot of factors.
If you are retired and your last child has moved out of the house, there could be a feeling of loneliness and you could be wondering about how you should spend all this new free time that you have. Maybe, you were the one doing all the cooking and the meal prep while your adult child was working or going to university. All of a sudden, there could be a lot of time on your hands.
One strategy that some people find helpful is to create a vision board. Pictures of your children, grandchildren, gardens you might like to create, places you might like to travel to….anything that you are interested in. Focusing on what interests you, where you might like to live if you downsize, and hobbies that matter to you can be helpful to ease the transition into accepting the empty nest and learning how to thrive in your new environment.
It’s not always easy to get used to the change. But being patient with yourself and giving yourself time to figure out how you would like to spend your time in retirement is certainly worth it.