A child leaving home is clearly one of life’s biggest changes and maybe one of the toughest transitions you’ll face as a parent. While your child’s safety and well-being is crucial, it’s also important to take care of yourself during this transition. Here are a few tips and resources you may find useful and helpful.

• First, realize it’s normal to experience a range of emotions when a child leaves the home. Allow yourself to feel whatever emotions come up. Fighting them will only make them feel more unmanageable. If your feelings are becoming unmanageable, consider seeing a counselor or therapist. Asking for help is a sign of strength and resourcefulness.
• Being a parent is just one aspect of your life. Stop and identify the other roles you play. Part of honoring yourself is seeing the entirety of who you are.
• Consider what family means to you. Who is supportive of you? Spend time with people who know you well and who will honor the journey this transition represents for you.
• Talk with your family about what this change means to you. How is your relationship with your spouse or partner different now? How is it the same?
• Seek support from family and friends. Ask others how they’ve dealt with similar transitions.
• Doing a ritual to mark this life transition can be deeply rewarding. A ritual can be as simple as burning sage to start anew, or as complex as holding a ceremony with others. Make it yours.
• Consider creating a sacred space in your home. You might use it for journaling, meditating, praying, or making art. This space might be a corner, a table, or an entire room. Make it work for you.
• Have a conversation with your family about how you’ll use the space that was your child’s bedroom. There is no right way to do this, but involving the whole family in the dialogue is important.
• Times of transition can allow us to make other changes in our lives. What changes have you been waiting to make? Perhaps now is the time to implement some of your ideas.