Happy Easter everyone! I woke up this morning feeling grateful for this incredible life I am living. Bobby and Clara came home on Friday and have kept us laughing since they stepped through the door. Every time they come home it is like they never left; but they have and we have all grown and become even closer as a family. Mornings like these make me forget all the difficult times I had when they moved out, and remember how happy I am to have two incredible children.
There was a time when I wondered if I could ever be as happy as I was when both kids lived under our roof; I found that happiness again. Looking back at how far I have come makes me feel proud of being the mother, wife, and individual I am.
If you have ever gone through empty nest syndrome you know the questions that run through your head the first couple months. Will I ever be as happy? Will they come back? How will I fill the empty space? Just know that if I can get through it and come out stronger, you can too! Look at all the positive things in your life and find happiness in all the new possibilities.
Here are a few ways I found a new kind of happiness in my empty nest.
Ways to find Happiness in your empty nest
1. There is time to rediscover yourself and your old talents. Find a new hobby that you have wanted to try but didn’t have enough time to do.
2. Make a list of things you love doing, and do them! Cooking, reading, start exercising, gardening, do what you love! You will have time to do it without distractions.
3. Have you always dreamed of visiting a new city? GO! My romantic getaway to New York City was the most incredible time of my life. It was like my husband and I were newlyweds living in the big city.
4. Make plans with your friends. When you are running around with your kid’s plans, it is easy to forget about your own friends. Host a barbeque or go out for a few drinks on your schedule.
5. Call your children and tell them how proud you are of them. It will not only make them feel good, you feel closer to them as well. You have given them all the tools they need to succeed, now it is time for them to make their own mark on this world.
Becoming an empty nester is difficult, but in the long run you will become an even better mother to your children. When you take time to rediscover yourself, things you never thought possible become a reality. It took several months to find my own happiness, it doesn’t happen overnight but once you find it, everything is so worth it.
Until Next Time,
Nancy
