I Didn't Know Who I Was When My Kids Left : Identity Grief Unpacked
I didn't know who I was when my kids left. If you'renavigating empty nest syndrome and identity grief after college drop off, you're not alone.
For women over 50, life after 50 for a woman can feeldisorienting when the role that defined you for 18 years shifts overnight. In this episode of Before Boca: A Podcast For Midlife Reinvention, we unpack what happens when the nest is empty or emptier and you go from everyday parenting to parenting adult children.
We break down a powerful Goop article - “Identity Grief: WhySending Your Kid to College Can Feel Like Losing Yourself” - and talk honestly about what midlife reinvention really feels like when you go from being needed every day to being needed differently.
WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE:
Why college drop off triggers identity grief - the sadnessand disorientation when a role that defined you changes or ends
The tracking of lasts during senior year and the rollercoaster of worry, longing, grumpiness and sadness
The difference between being a mother alongside other rolesand being THE MOTHER where your entire identity is organized around having kidsat home
The stages that show up - anger, bargaining, anxiety, andacceptance - and why anxiety deserves its own stage
Why midlife makes it harder - it feels like college was justyesterday, and also a lifetime ago
5 ways to move through identity grief: name it, expect prideand grief at the same time, look for what you're gaining, build parts of yourself outside the mother role, and give yourself grace
This is for any woman navigating when kids leave home,starting over at 50, or rediscovering who you are after motherhood has beenyour full-time identity.
READ THE ARTICLE WE DISCUSS:
Goop - Identity Grief: Why Sending Your Kid to College CanFeel Like Losing Yourself (we'll link it in the pinned comment too)
ABOUT BEFORE BOCA:
Before Boca is a podcast for women rediscovering who theyare after being everyone else's everything. We talk midlife reinvention, gray divorce, starting over at 50, women over 50, and life after 50 for a woman -honestly and without TMI filters.
New episodes Wednesdays
If this resonated, subscribe and share with a friendnavigating empty nest syndrome or parenting adult children.
Leave a comment:what part of your identity are you rebuilding right now?
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🌐 Website: beforebocapodcast.com
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