We may go through many different stages in life and sometimes, we may struggle to get control of our feelings. One of the problems that many people face as they get older is known as empty nest syndrome. If you seem to struggle with this problem, you certainly are not alone. It happens to many people who have children and someday, they need to face the possibility that their children are gone and they have to live their life in a much different way.
Many people struggle to understand if empty nest syndrome is actually a real problem. It is an issue that occurs when children leave home after they have grown up and now parents feel as if they are living in an ’empty nest’. For some parents, it only lasts a little while and they are able to adjust to their new life. For other parents, however, they struggle with the possibility of living alone and they might even be losing sleep over worrying about their children when they are no longer at home.
Penn State University, Brigham Young and the University of Texas at Austin ran a study. It showed the parents who are going through this transitional period would lose sleep because they worried about their children after they left home.
In the study conducted by those researchers, it was found that mothers tended to worry but fathers also worried and they lost sleep as well. This was something that shocked many people who may have thought that fathers are not as concerned.
Something else that the research found is that parents who suffered from empty nest syndrome were often overly involved in their children’s lives.
It doesn’t mean that you need to worry about empty nest syndrome if you suffer from it. You may see the symptoms occurring but there are things you can do to ease the problem. Besides knowing that there is something that can be done about the issue, you should also know that it is perfectly normal to feel sad and worried during this time of your life. We lived a long time with our children so there is nothing wrong with missing them, even if they are grown up and living on their own.
One thing that you can do is to find a way to relieve the stress that you may be experiencing from this problem. If you are struggling to cope with the stress, you may actually end up hurting your immune system and getting sick.
Here are some of the things you can do to cope with empty nest syndrome:
Exercise daily
Eat a well-balanced diet
Write down your thoughts in a journal
Take time for yourself on occasion
Reduce your consumption of alcohol and caffeine
Volunteer in your community
Talk to somebody about your feelings
After you do these things, you will find that you are living a healthier and happier life. It helps you to keep busy and to deal with the reality of empty nest syndrome.