How to cope when roles change
A new life chapter….
My kids left the family home for boarding school 8 years ago. I found myself with feelings of loss and sadness. The house was quiet, there was a place for only one in the dining table. When I got home, I would pass each of their old rooms to get to my bedroom. I learned that turning on lights made it feel more bearable.
Suddenly, I was living alone.
There was a low-level anxiety that was nagging me, lack of focus at work, loss of purpose. What now? What next? I decided to pour my heart into my self-development and into my business.
How exciting, a new life chapter!
Role imbalance
When you don’t have to parent on a daily basis, something feels imbalanced. You used to have so much to do and now you need to re-examine your roles. For the first few months, you keep the same level of busy until you realize you are just chugging along. At the end of each week (what? Its Friday again?!) you wonder what it all amounted to? You were so busy, spinning your wheels, with nothing to show for.
Uncertain about life ahead
For some of my friends, empty nesting was not so easy. It triggered a mid-life crisis, caused a ton of grief, and made them feel uncertain about their life ahead. They still felt lonely even when surrounded by people. They felt something was off, with less energy than they used to have.
How to cope
Rediscover who you are without your roles.
Revisit activities you put off when you were busy.
Create a “joy tribe”.
Invest in yourself.
Follow your excitement.
“Soon you’ll find yourself looking forward to the new chapter of your life. ”
If you’d like to learn more, let’s meet!
