A Note from Jenn 💌

May 28, 2026

How Do I Cope With Empty Nest Depression?

Is empty nest depression real? Yes. And you are allowed to grieve and grow at the same time.

Hey you, it is me.

I think a lot of parents are quietly Googling. Is empty nest depression real?

And sweet friend, yes. It can be very real.

You spend years building your life around lunches, pickups, schedules, and making sure everyone else is okay. Then one day the house starts getting quieter. You are proud of them. You are happy for them. And still, something in you aches.

Here is what the science taught me, and it gave me so much grace. The brain forms deep grooves around routine, your people, your noise, your role. When the routine ends, your brain reads the absence as loss and grieves it, even when the change is good. That ache is not ingratitude. It is a brain that loved this season deeply.

I keep coming back to is that there is a season for everything. A time to hold on and a time to let go. I am learning that letting go is not the same as losing. It is making room for what is still being written.

So here is what I am doing before the silence gets too loud. I am building new rhythms now. A morning walk. A prayer. A dinner plan. A call to a friend. For me, the big one is that I am walking 250 miles across Spain. Maybe you cannot walk 250 miles right now, but maybe you can take one small step today.

What surprised you most about this season of parenting, the grief or the unexpected freedom? Write me back. I am genuinely asking.

If no one told you today: missing your old season does not mean you are failing the new one. You are allowed to grieve and grow at the same time.

We were never meant to walk this season alone. I am not, and neither are you.

Just stay sweet in the middle.
Love you,
Jenn

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What surprised you most about this season of parenting — the grief, or the unexpected freedom? Write me back. I'm genuinely asking.

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