The Empty Nest Support Center

Every person is unique, but when you face a challenge like empty nest, you are never alone.  Countless men and women have faced the exact same situation and have survived and thrived.  The following guide is designed to help you navigate your journey with the best information and resources that helped other survivors when they faced the same challenge. 

TSC has scoured the Internet and assembled links to the very best empty nest resources: articles, blogs, forums and tools that can help you make better decisions and take action to overcome the range of physical, emotional and other challenges that you face.

As you’ll see, we always welcome your ideas and suggestions to make this Empty Nest Guide even more helpful to survivors like you.   

JUST FOUND OUT  

Survivors Say: Best Resources for Empty nest

• All About Life Challenges: Empty Nest - Wasn't This The Goal?
  
• Empty Nest Moms 
• Empty Nest Support Services
  

The Big Picture   

Empty Nest Syndrome is characterized by feelings and symptoms of depression, sadness, and/or grief by parents and loved ones when grown children leave the family home, as when going to college or getting married or moving out on their own for the first time.

Most often experienced by mothers, Empty Nest Syndrome can also affect men. To learn more about the symptoms of empty nest, visit this link:

Psychology Today: Empty Nest Syndrome

Your Empty nest

To better understand your feelings and why you may be experiencing them:

WebMD: Empty Nest - Launching Adult Children

Your World

After your child leaves home, you may find yourself with more time to do things other than care for your children. For links to resources that other empty nesters have employed, visit:

Empty Nest Support Services: Links & Resources

Emptynest Myths

• Only women experience empty nest
• Empty nest is a myth

Information and Recommended Links for Survivors

• Dr. Phil: Parenting - Empty Nest 
• The Woman's Connection: Five Solutions for Surviving The Empty Nest Syndrome 
• Swedish: Empty Nest Syndrome - How to Cope When the Kids Leave Home

Types of Treatment

Finding support

Having people to lean on while you find your way through empty nest is important. Whether it is an online support group, friends or a therapist, support is one treatment for empty nest.

Revolution Health: Adjusting to Your Empty Nest

Creating a support circle

• Set up your TSC Survivor Profile
• Join support groups of other survivors or set up your own
• Interact and provide updates on your profile or our forums

Health-care Providers Who Can Help

Therapists, psychologists and physicians can help with some of the symptoms you may experience with your case of empty nest syndrome, like depression.

For a list of where to look for help, follow this link:

APA Health Center: Places to Look for Help

Resources to Find Doctors

To find and choose a mental health professional that is right for you: National Mental Health Information Center - Choosing The Right Mental Health Therapist

The Emotional Roller-coaster

Surviving Empty Nest Syndrome is difficult, but countless men and women have overcome their initial feelings of grief, loss and/or depression and moved on to be happy. Because empty nest most often occurs when you are going through other life-changing events as well, including menopause or retirement, it is important to find out if your empty nest has physical manifestations as well. To survive your emotional rollercoaster ride, check out these support aids.

Books Survivors Recommend

• Barbara & Susan's Guide to the Empty Nest: Discovering New Purpose, Passion & Your Next Great Adventure
  
• Full Hearts and Empty Nests
• Empty Nest, The: 31 Parents Tell the Truth About Relationships, Love, and Freedom After the Kids Fly the Coop
• When You're Facing the Empty Nest: Avoiding Midlife Meltdown When Your Child Leaves Home

What Survivors Wish They’d Known

Dealing with Empty Nest: Information and Recommended Links for Co-Survivors           

How you can help

• Keep them entertained during times when they would have formerly been with their kids.
• Preserve your friend or family member's daily activities. It's normal to feel protective but excluding patients from activities or decisions you don't see them as fit enough to perform contributes to feelings of helplessness.
• Involve your friend or family member with others. Don't focus exclusively on their disease and treatment plan when interacting with them. Talk to them about yourself or make plans to visit friends and loved ones. A survivor involved with others has a better chance of avoiding feelings of abandonment.

What to say    

• "I remember when my child left home and how I felt”
• "I understand what you’re going through, I’ve been there too”
• Tell them how much you care about them

What not to say

• "Just call them and tell them how you feel"
• "You’ll forget all about them soon"
• "It’s not like you’ll never see them again"

Things you can do for a survivor every day

Offering day-to-day support is a great way to make sure that your friend or family member doesn’t experience empty nest too severely. Talking with them more often and finding ways to fill their new free time can also help.

How to build a support network

• Set up your TSC Co-Survivor Profile
• Create a support group for your friend or family member.
• Interact and provide updates

After a child moves away from home, find something new to love. Clean the house the way you wanted, rearrange the furniture. Make new friends, find a hobby. Learn how to do something you’ve always wanted to. Eat out more often and enjoy the freedom of not having to arrange a baby-sitter.

Give back

What helped you while you were dealing with the emotions of an empty nest and realized you had recovered? Take a look back at your journey and share with other what helped you and what you wished you would have known/done during your empty nest experience. You can create a profile, reach out to other survivors, join support circles or share your story by following the links at TheSurvivorsClub.org. Check out one of the best charities for supporting those experiencing this crisis firsthand: Your Life After 50