The View from the Empty Nest — Week 3

Rachel
2 min readSep 25, 2020

Wow — two weeks have come and gone — I am now into my third week — how have I managed to get through them? Did I actually smile and laugh once this week? Is it getting slightly easier? Did I actually manage to go one whole day without constantly looking at my phone to see if there was a call or text?

I think maybe I did. The mindfulness meditations are helping. I feel it is a tool to help me relax when the anxiety starts to rush in. Little things still make it hard for me — the reduced washing in the laundry basket — the fact that the dishwasher is only half full at the end of the day — the silence of no taxi calls — no middle of the night front door slams.

I have started to allow thoughts to enter my head regarding where I want my life’s journey to go from here. I know I must not rush into anything but where is my life going and what do I want from it now? Of course my babies will always need me but maybe not in the same way as before. Should I look to change jobs? I have more time now and could work more hours in the week. I am currently working part time. Do I want a change in career? I feel it is now or never. I want to travel more and would love to go on a gap month — maybe something to plan for next year? I don’t think I could cope with a Gap year — I like my home comforts too much. Should I move house and downsize? I always fancied living by the sea.

Maybe because I am now able to think about what is next, it is a good thing. Maybe it shows I am surviving my empty nest better than I thought.

I find doing jigsaw puzzles and Sudoku a real help in relaxing and filling some of the empty time I now find I have. It can help me step outside the daily grind. Some people might think these are boring pastimes but I love them and don’t care what they think. This is a sign of being 50 years old — not caring what other people think, well not as much as before, anyway.

The next thing that I really need to start to get back into my life, something that has been neglected over the last 3 weeks, is healthy eating and exercise. Not something that comes easy when you are struggling with an empty nest or actually anytime. Let’s hope I can get a new focus in week 4

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