They're gone, NOW WHAT? Empty Nest Syndrome is Real

Beyond Empty Nest

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How do you handle good-byes? Some of us find it easier than others.

As moms, we face countless good-byes with our children, but none are quite as emotionally charged as the empty nest. Whether our kids leave for college, join the service, or step into the working world, empty nest syndrome is a real thing. For some, it brings a wave of sadness that might last a few days or weeks. For others, it hits much harder, bringing on feelings of depression and anxiety.

Today, my guest is one of those moms who really felt the weight of these good-bye moments, especially with an empty nest. She discovered the importance of finding support to navigate these tough transitions, and she's here to share her journey with us.

Morgan Baker writes about family, mental health, dogs, change, and identity in her award-winning memoir Emptying the Nest: Getting Better at Good-byes.

Keep listening if you’re ready to learn more about how change can be fun and beautiful, keep listening.

In this episode

• [3:22] Morgan shares her story and her long history with difficult goodbyes.
• [8:04] How experiencing divorce as a child can be traumatic and those traumas can still with you well into your life.
• [9:35] How your home’s personality and your family’s functionality changes when your first child leaves the nest.
• [12:20] Morgan shares that her father saved all of the correspondence he received from her as a child and teenager and how that had such an impact on Morgan’s life.
• [13:45] How change can equal loss and how this forced Morgan into a deep depression.
• [16:01] Morgan shares how she started viewing change as fun instead of loss and shares her tips on how you can view life’s obstacles as such on your own.
• [17:28] How Morgan started to view herself as so much more than just a mother, and how that helped to pull her out of her depression.
• [20:11] Morgan talks about how she feels more like herself and how that has shifted her children’s view on her for the better.
• [22:42] It is not a weakness to ask for help from those around you.
• [23:26] When the relationship dynamic changes with your kids and becomes more adult/fun.
• [25:27] “I would say here's another incentive to work at the practice and the process of moving through the grief. It’s that while you're in the grief, you can't see your children becoming.” - Jodi
• [27:39] The importance of practicing self-compassion.
• [29:32] Pouring your love into other things as well once the nest is empty.
• [31:52] How not hearing from your kids isn’t necessarily something to grieve!
• [34:00] Your Dare

Your Dare for the Week ❤️

• Dare #1: Say yes to something that your gut would normally tell you, “No, I can't do that”. Force yourself to say yes.
• Dare #2: Reach out to somebody; a teacher, a spiritual leader, a mentor, somebody who's helped you get through something or enlightened your life in a way, and say thank you to them.

About Morgan: Morgan Baker writes about family, mental health, dogs, change, and identity in her award-winning memoir Emptying the Nest: Getting Better at Good-byes (Ten16 Press). Other work is in the Boston Globe Magazine, The New York Times Ma

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