An interesting phenomena has been occurring with college-age young adults who are either feeling depressed, anxious, or isolated at college and have chosen to return home or were forced to due to COVID-19. Many times, they feel disappointed and withdrawn. This can lead to a downward spiral of inertia while living with their parents.
Parents call me asking me how to help their child. Many of these young adults have been independent but then return home and require boundaries so that the family can function in a harmonious manner. Some parents are frustrated by their boomerang children who either retreat from the family and spend hours on social media or with video games. They may sleep during the day while staying up until early hours of the night either with friends or online. This is disruptive for the household and can cause a great deal of tension.
Sometimes these young adults returned from college with anxiety or depression related to failing socially or academically at school. It is not unusual for young adults to miss home or become traumatized (major or minor trauma) while away at college. They return home with limited confidence, loss of purpose, and a fear of failure.
Coaching is also available to the parents of children who have found themselves in a world of uncertainty and at home again after experiencing independence before COVID-19 required online classes. Stay-at-home orders from COVID-19 required children of all ages, including college students, to quarantine, which can be stressful for parents, young adults, and younger siblings that may be living and learning at home as well. Parents need help and calls for a life coach for their child and the family have been more frequent.
I tell all of these families that life coaching can be a powerful way to help young adults find success within themselves. Coaching young adults provides a safe, non-judgmental place to self-reflect and choose a new way to learn to succeed. It also provides them with support and insights that will lead to more realistic goals and methods for achieving their goals.
Life coaching includes an overall assessment of all areas of life, including relationships, career, life purpose, physical health, mental health, self nurturing, and financial. The purpose is to assess the strongest and weakest areas so that the strong areas can be reinforced and built upon while addressing the roadblocks that prevent movement toward more success in the weaker areas. It is a very interactive method of working together with the goal of improving life balance, confidence, and overall well-being.