If It’s Empty, you Fill it, Right?
Whether you are in the emptying nest or full-on empty nest stage, you can feel your days being less full of doing all the things that need to get done for your kids as they grow up.
You may even begin to wonder what in the heck you are going to do with all that extra “empty” time.
Some of us are totally freaking out about it and some of us are seeing opportunity. I’m feeling a little of both … excited for new adventures and concerned I won’t have as much fun as I’m having now.
I’ve noticed that the happiest empty-nester moms I know, have some sort of hobby. So, in anticipation of falling prey to the totally-empty-nest syndrome depression, I’m preparing by allowing myself to search for a few hobbies to begin obsessing, in a fun way, about. I have a couple of hobbies I’ve been wanting to really dig into but haven’t been able to as I was raising my kiddos and working part-time so I put those on my initial list.
Organize Your Passions
As I explore the opportunities, I decided to group them in categories to something for each mind, body & spirit. After asking around, here’s the list I’ve put together.
Mind
- Take long weekend trips: stay in nice hotels and eat at nice restaurants
- Plan a getaway
- Plan a getaway to see a concert
- Sign up for painting or crafting classes
- Back to school to pursue a career change
- Grad school
- New licensure program for a new opportunity
- Reading
- Classic car shows
- Trivia nights at a pub
- Write a book, blog, poems
- Research your family tree
Body
- Naps
- Cooking classes
- Ballroom dancing
- Cycling
- Kayaking
- Tennis
- Spartan Races
- Running
- Running races: 5k to half marathons
- Hiking
- Dance classes (salsa, hip-hop, Zumba, etc.)
Spirit
- Bible study group
- Photography (learn to view the world with appreciation)
- Take fur babies on trips to the park
- Read the Bible cover to cover
- Knitting
- Go to a concert
- Gardening club
- Adopt a rescue pet
- Take singing lessons
- Stain glass projects
Hobbies Are Not One Size Fits All
As I was sorting out all of the suggestions, I realized that certain hobbies can feed your soul, mind or body if different ways for each person. For example, tapping into our creativity, in any capacity, is beneficial at any/every age. Additionally, it could feed one mom’s spirit or another mom’s mind or even both. That’s just one of the benefits of choosing a loved hobby to give your time to.
Other benefits are enjoying living in the moment, taking time out for “you” time, exploring what you are passionate about, releasing stress and tension, building new friendships, and just, in general, helping you maintain a positive outlook on life.
Bonus Round
I don’t see any downfall to mom’s going out and exploring new experiences to keep their lives full of wonder and enjoyment of the world they live in. And who knows, you may find a hobby that you can share with your partner or grown kid that will create a new bond in those relationships.
When Should I Start?
Start your list of hobbies ideas today and keep the list going until you land on the one that gets you jumping out of bed int he mornings. What are your suggestions for hobbies that fill you up and help make new friends?
Awakening your curiousity to discover your passion is so important for finding happiness in the empty nest or midlife in general. It’s one of the components in my guide, How to Prepare for Life When the Kids Move Out so go grab a free copy at www.HeyMissEllie.com.