Description
The mom's guide to finding happiness, hope, fulfillment, and self-love as an empty nester
For moms everywhere, Life After Kids: Rediscover Yourself and Thrive Beyond Motherhood is an essential guide to becoming an empty nester. When your child leaves home for new opportunities, it's hard to adjust to their absence. This book provides a roadmap to navigating this transitional life stage, filled with wisdom on finding new opportunities, focusing on developing your emotional and mental health, managing feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and uncertainty, and preparing to welcome a new phase of parenting as kids grow older and more independent.
Written by Brooke Stillwell and Lynne Mouw, two health and wellness experts with decades of experience helping women maximize their potential and find fulfillment, this book helps readers understand concepts like:
- Why continuing to pour even more of your heart and soul into your grown kids' lives is often a step backwards
- Why women thrive as empty nesters through building emotional resilience: letting go of things you cannot control, and instead focusing on things you can control
- Why finding more purpose, rather than accumulating material possessions or indulging in leisurely activities and pastimes, is the only real way forward
For all mothers looking to embrace life now that the kids are grown, Life After Kids: Rediscover Yourself and Thrive Beyond Motherhood is the perfect practical, supportive guide to finding hope and fulfillment in a new parenting era.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii
About the Authors xiii
Introduction xv
Part I: Purpose 1
Chapter 1: It’s Not About the Kids 3
Chapter 2: What Do I Do Now? 15
Chapter 3: Finding Your Way 33
Part II: Resilience 51
Chapter 4: Simple Strategies for Stress Management 53
Chapter 5: Embracing What Is 71
Chapter 6: Physical Health Is Emotional Health 85
Chapter 7: Beauty in Life Beyond Motherhood 101
Part III: Community and Friendships 111
Chapter 8: You Can’t Do It Alone 113
Chapter 9: Finding Your Tribe 125
Part IV: Fulfillment in Your Life after Kids 143
Chapter 10: Risky Behavior Isn’t Just for Teenagers 145
Chapter 11: Just Keep Growing 159
Chapter 12: The Cherry on Top 173
Conclusion 187
References 191
