218. How to Navigate the Early Acute Phase of Empty Nesting with Grace and Compassion

The Mindful Healers Podcast with Dr. Jessie Mahoney and Dr. Ni-Cheng Liang

Every parent traverses into the space having an empty nest at some point. We want it to happen and we don’t. If it's not happening we worry. If it is happening we worry.

This episode belongs in both the Parenting with Presence and Transition Well series. Jessie shares about her first week transitioning to an empty nest. The first week of a big life change is, “of course”, filled with intense and often conflicting emotions.

It was a bit like landing in a foreign country. How you feel may be unexpected. It may be different than you think you should feel.

I thought I would be excited…but I wasn’t. As I headed home, I felt chest pressure and was anxious. It was totally unexpected. And it continued to come and go unexpectedly for a week or so.

Below are a few of the mindful tips shared in this episode. I hope they will help you handle the grief, anxiety, sadness or whatever else you might feel in the moment

• Pause and breathe and remember to trust and believe in yourself and them. You did the best you could in the moment with the resources, skills and experience that you had in the moment.

• Whatever you feel doesn’t have to go away or be controlled. Feel it. When we don’t strive to change it, it passes through more quickly.

• Somatic work really helps. Join me for a retreat to learn more about this.

• Be kind to yourself. Hand to heart.

• Be patient. Give yourself time to adjust.

• Try to show up “hands wide open” for the next phase. Be willing to accept the discomfort of uncertainty. Ask yourself “good” questions. What if it’s fun? What if it’s better than you expect? What if you aren’t lonely? What if it’s amazing?

• Don’t quarterback the past. Did you do a good enough job? Should you have spent more time doing…?

Mindfulness and coaching help tremendously to navigate parenthood and big life and work transitions with buoyancy and grace.

Consider joining me for Transition Well. You can join the fall group until October 1st.

If you happen to be a new empty nester or about to be an empty nester, it is also a great time to enjoy a life reset at a Pause & Presence Retreat at Nicasio Creek Farm or Sagrada. Your next chapter will be much more fantastic if you do.

Move beyond consuming this amazing podcast. True change happens when you work with us - virtually and/or in-person.

Coach with Jessie - 1:1, in topic-focused small groups, or at a retreat. www.jessiemahoneymd.com

Work with both of us in person at The Mindful Healers Annual Retreat www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreats

Hire one or both of us to speak or lead a workshop on any topic covered in the Mindful Healers Podcast. We also create team retreats, teach yoga, and offer experiential mindfulness for teams, groups, grand rounds, institutions, and conferences.

www.jessiemahoneymd.com/mindful-healers-podcast

www.awakenbreath.org

www.jessiemahoneymd.com/speaking

*Nothing shared in the Mindful Healers Podcast is medical advice.

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