Handling Empty-Nest Syndrome and Retirement: How Counseling Can Help You Cope and Find New Directions

Retiring and realizing that all of your adult children are now on their own is quite the experience. Some embrace these times with joy and exuberant enthusiasm. Others, not so much. If you are part of the latter group, you may need some counseling to get you over this hump and transition into the next stage of your life. Here is how counseling can help you cope and find new directions after retirement when empty-nest syndrome kicks in.

Narrowing Down the Cause of Your Depression

Some people get really depressed during this stage of life because they suddenly feel like they no longer serve a purpose. They do not have children to care for, no longer have to work to support a family, and really do not know what to do with all of the time they used to put into their careers. They may also miss the stress or the challenge of keeping up with these things. Whatever your reason or the cause of your depression, a counselor can help you talk things through and narrow things down. Once you know the cause, you can begin to look for things to do that will help you redirect your time and attention elsewhere than on what you are not doing anymore.

Finding New Directions and New Purposes

Remember all those things you wanted so badly to do but did not have time for? Traveling, reading every book you have horded on your shelves, and even spending endless hours painting are just some of the things you have plenty of time to do now. Afternoon siestas in a hammock can be a reality too. Now is the time to do everything you could not do for the last twenty to forty years, and in doing these things, you can find your bliss, your nirvana. If you decide that you still need to work just a little bit, you can always find a slower-paced, part-time job to get you out of the house, but most people typically find their post-retirement stride anywhere from three to eight months after they first retire. Give it time, and explore your many options.

Getting Help with Getting Out of the "Funk"

You may be one of a small percentage of people that still cannot quite seem to get out of the retirement "funk." If that is the case, you could continue to see a counselor and possibly try a round of anti-depressants to see if they improve your mood. A professional such as Timothy D. Berry, Ph.D. may be able to offer you some other choices to help you enjoy your post-retirement and post–child-raising life.