For parents, there were certainly days, if not years, when you longed for the day when your children would be grown and gone. You looked forward to the day when there would once again be peace and quiet in your home.

But now that they really are gone, the quiet can often be deafening, and the peace you experience can feel more like loneliness.

It’s an age-old phenomenon that every generation of parents must go through – and most adult children will likely experience it, as well, someday.

But there are many ways to cope with what has been labeled as “Empty Nest Syndrome.”

Free at Last, Free at Last… But Not So Happy About It

According to one source, the symptoms of those older adults suffering from Empty Nest Syndrome include the following:

• Loneliness
• Emotional distress
• A loss of purpose
• Fear of a lack of control
• Worry and anxiety
• Depression
• And even a sense of grief

In some ways and, to a certain degree, our responses to our grown children leaving home is akin to those of losing a loved one.

However, the good news is that most all of us get past this stage and once again learn to enjoy a new sense of freedom and independence. In the meantime, though, there are few things we can do to help ease the pain and disoriented feelings of suddenly having no kids at home.

One therapy website recommends, among other things, that empty nesters become more active outside the home and involving themselves in other activities.

For example, parents can focus on other areas of their lives such as:

Physical: Go for walks, join a gym, learn how to do yoga, re-engage in sports or other physical activities you enjoyed at earlier points in your life

Creative: Learn to draw or paint, write, play an instrument, join a band, take a dance class

Social: Take or teach a class, join a club or organization, reconnect with siblings, extended family, and old friends

Community: Volunteer for organizations whose causes matter to you

Another great activity that can help ease the unease of Empty Nest Syndrome is to begin the process of ‘downsizing’ your lifestyle. And this can include getting rid of all the things in your home and garage you no longer really need.

When There’s More Stuff in Your Home Than You Need

Most Americans tend to accumulate household goods and personal belongings year after year throughout their lives. In fact, many of us still have things we bought or received as gifts even as far back as childhood.

While the passage of time may imbue some items with a strong sense of sentimental value, many other things are just “things” that we haven’t needed or used in years. For many of us, our basements, attics, and garages are little more than storage units attached to our homes.

And, of course, many of us have rented storage units somewhere to hold all the overflow of things we own.

This is where the problem lies for many people: we simply have too much stuff.

The problem becomes even more apparent for many older adults when their children have finally all left home, and they find that there’s way too much stuff for a house with just one or two people! Or, as we like to refer to it in our industry, residential junk.

The good news is that once the last loving son or daughter has crossed the front door threshold for a life on their own, it becomes a great time for getting rid of some or most of that stuff or junk.

So, not only can culling your personal belongings and whittling down on all the miscellaneous stuff be therapeutic for dealing with that Empty Nest Syndrome, but getting rid of that junk, you have lying around or stuffed in closets, drawers, boxes, bins, and what all, can transform your home and your living spaces.

Call it a “home cleanout” or simply “downsizing” decluttering and clearing out unwanted and unneeded items from your home can be mentally and emotionally healing and helpful.

Taking an Organized Approach to Downsizing and Junk Removal at Home

Of course, we certainly don’t recommend that you go blindly from one room to the next, throwing out things you don’t think you want or need. This will only lead to confusing piles of junk and debris around your house and, quite possibly, some regrets later that you didn’t think it through better.

For those who have been around the planet for a long while, many belongings in our homes are often unused but have great family or sentimental value. In other words, not everything needs to be tossed out.

Having a plan and being organized in your approach to sorting and separating will serve to make your decluttering, downsizing, and junk removal project much more stress-free and enjoyable.

In addition, knowing in advance what you plan to do and how you plan to dispose of everything will make it much quicker. So, with that in mind, we have put together this handy guide for downsizing and junk removal to help you with your own efforts.

In addition to this brief guide, there are many great resources to be found both online and in print to help you plan and navigate your own downsizing efforts. It is also important to keep in mind that there are no “right” ways to go about downsizing.

For example, some folks choose to get rid of almost everything and move into an RV, travel the country, and spend their kid’s inheritance! For most others, however, downsizing just means simplifying their lifestyle while focusing on their pursuits and activities.

Regardless of how you choose to go about it, there will be many opportunities for getting rid of junk as you discover how much you don’t need.

And that means finding the best resource for making that happen.

Junk King Washington DC: Your Local Partner for Downsizing Junk Removal

Downsizing after the last of the kids have gone can be a whole lot easier when you have a fast and affordable junk removal service ready to help you out. Which is why we encourage you to consider Junk King Washington DC as your “go-to partner“ for junk removal from homes, apartments, and rental properties.

Let us help you simplify your lifestyle!

And we guarantee that you’ll love your experience with Junk King Washington DC:

• Easy scheduling and on-time arrivals.
• A courtesy call about 15 minutes before we show up.
• Uniformed crews made up of trained, insured professionals.
• In-and-out with fast and thorough service.
• Straightforward estimates with no hidden fees

In addition, at Junk King, being green is simply a core part of our company mission.

And we back that up by routinely and regularly recycling, donating, or re-purposing everything we possibly can. For furniture removal, for example, we take an environmentally-friendly approach by ensuring the metal, wood, and other materials are recycled properly.

If your old item can be reused, Junk King will transfer it to a local donation center where it can find a new home.

So, when you need to dispose of your old sofa, mattress, dishwasher, bulk trash, dishwasher, or trash compactor, think of Junk King Washington DC.

Book online or call us today at 1.888.888.JUNK (5865) to get started with a free estimate.