From the Newspapers, translated…
An elderly woman in her sixties, for over a decade had, raised up her grandson, until her grandson got into a southern college and lived in the dormitories. In almost a year’s time, the elderly woman walked on eggshells constantly, as she saw the car crashes and other serious news stories, she’d always, started, worrying about the wellbeing of her grandson, became too anxious, she’d started, losing weight, became an insomniac, and can’t have an appetite either. She was diagnosed with depression, because as the beloved grandson left home, the elderly woman lost the focus of her life, and started showing signs of “empty nest”.
The Cathy Hospital’s primary psychiatrist, Su said, that the empty nest is made up of a series of symptoms, it’s not just ONE illness. Like how the birds had, flown to and from the nests, looking for food to feed to their young, and as the young birds left the nest, the parents’ responsibilities had, ended, like retiring from the workforce. For some parents, as their children start working, and gone off to college, they don’t spend as much time together as they once had, it may bring about this strong sense of loneliness, they’d, entered into the empty nest stage of their lives.
As the modern day families have less and less children, unlike how there would be, so many kids cramping up the homes, Dr. Su said, modern day parents are more prone to the experiences of empty nest, especially in families with just one child, or if the parents are natural worriers, as the child leaves home, they would feel a stronger sensation of the empty nest; and, there are cross-generation families here, the elderly grandparents weathered through the empty nests twice, once from their own young, another from their grandchildren.
An expert said, that during the empty nest, it’s like the experiences of menopause, with the children going away for school, the empty nest ranged from ages forty-five to fifty-five, the parents became ill-adapted for not having their children around, and felt that they’re, no longer needed, and a series of symptoms surface.
Su said, the most visible signs of empty nest are depression, anxiety, and insomnia, although some grandparents would have two separate encounters of empty nest, but after they’d become, mentally readied by the first time, the second time the empty nest came, it would be less severe, but, once the symptoms of empty nest lasted over two months, and had, affected living from day to day, then, the individuals should get the physicians to check them out.
Some of the parents are overly worried about their young, just wanted to keep them protected, and even not wanted their children to become independent too soon.
But, Su said, that researches showed, that no matter how old the children were as they left home, the feelings of empty nest won’t be any different, especially the mother had had the most intimate sorts of physical contact with their young, carrying them inside, nursing them, had taken care of their young every step of the way, as the responsibilities in childrearing slowly disappeared during the empty nest, the greater the impact, if the individuals didn’t make the adjustments well enough, there may be signs of depressions, alcoholism, identity crises, and the marriage under tension even.
The manager of the foundation, Yeh suggests, that parents must learn, and accept, that their young leaving home, is a needed process of life, they’d needed to, examine their emotions, and see if their lives were, impacted first, then, understand, that the shift of focus in their lives had changed from the children, to oneself, and they can find ways to relieve the stresses of all the attention on themselves, use the time, to reestablish one’s own hobbies, visit the friends, families, relatives, or go on trips abroad.
So, because in your former years, you’d, focused solely on your young, and suddenly, (it actually took a very long time: 20 to 30 years total???), they’re, all grown up, and no longer needed you to look after their every single need because they’re old enough to care for themselves (hello, hello, hello???), now, you feel, loss, which is normal, after all, you’d, FAILED to establish a hobby, like music, reading, etc., etc., etc., while they were growing up………