Surviving the First Friday
“We all have a picture of what our lives may look like when our kids leave home.” – Empty Nest Full Pockets. We may conjure up different ways to cope - whether they be healthy or unhealthy for our mental or physical health. According to an article by Lynn Byars MD, MPH, FACP “Empty Nest Syndrome is a term that is used to describe the distressing responses that some parents experience when their adult child leaves home permanently. Reactions might include: sadness, depression, irritability, anger, resentment, anxiety, guilt, loneliness, and even some physical symptoms.”* That initial feeling of loss and disorientation set in for me personally, when my first son left for college. “Before his departure, I believed I would bein constant contact with him about classes, dorm issues, and his social comings and goings.” My apprehension came from the belief that this loss of contact would leave me feeling empty [...]