What happens when the routine that used to structure your life suddenly disappears?

Maybe your kids leave home and you become an empty nester. Maybe you retire. Maybe you move to a new city, graduate from college, or simply find yourself with more free time than you’re used to having.

These life transitions can bring freedom, but they can also bring boredom, loneliness, restlessness, and the uncomfortable feeling of not quite knowing what to do with yourself.

In this episode of Relating with Jen Funk, I’m talking about why losing your usual routine can feel so disorienting, the difference between being alone and feeling lonely, and why we sometimes start expecting our spouse, friends, or adult children to fill the empty space for us.

We’ll also talk about how this can affect marriage - especially during retirement and the empty nest years - when one partner suddenly has more free time and begins looking to the other person for plans, companionship, and purpose.

I’ll share practical ways to adjust when life changes, create a new routine without filling every minute, get more comfortable doing things on your own, and build a life that feels like yours while still staying connected to the people you love.

If you’re navigating retirement, empty nesting, a move, a major life transition, loneliness, or simply wondering what to do with more time on your hands, this episode is for you.

For more relationship support and free resources, visit jenfunkcoaching.com.

Download Jen’s free guide, 5 Simple Habits to Improve Your Relationship Today, at https://www.jenfunkcoaching.com/5simplehabits

Or sign up to receive Jen's weekly newsletter filled with relationship tips and tools at https://www.jenfunkcoaching.com/newsletter

You can also check out Jen on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@jenfunkcoaching

Has sex or physical intimacy slowly disappeared from your marriage? Maybe it’s been weeks, months (or longer) and neither of you quite knows how you got here or how to start again.

I’m talking about why couples stop having sex, how stress, kids, low sex drive, hormones, aging and body changes can affect desire, and why waiting for your sex life to magically fix itself can make getting it back so much harder. Plus, I share what KC and I have learned in 25 years of marriage and five simple ways to start talking, touching and reconnecting before months turn into years.

For more relationship support and free resources, visit jenfunkcoaching.com.

Download Jen’s free guide, 5 Simple Habits to Improve Your Relationship Today, at https://www.jenfunkcoaching.com/5simplehabits

Or sign up to receive Jen's weekly newsletter filled with relationship tips and tools at https://www.jenfunkcoaching.com/newsletter

You can also check out Jen on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@jenfunkcoaching

Divorce rates have been falling overall, but among adults over 50, the story looks very different.

Gray divorce has more than doubled since 1990, and today nearly 40% of people getting divorced are 50 or older. But why are couples ending marriages after 20, 30, even 40 years together?

In this episode, I’m talking about what’s really behind gray divorce - and it’s not always an affair or some huge betrayal.

We’ll talk about:

• Why couples can slowly grow apart without realizing it
• What the empty nest can reveal about a marriage
• Four warning signs that disconnection may be growing
• Why resentment can build over decades
• What couples can start doing now to stay close as life changes
• Why getting help earlier can make such a difference

If you’re in your 40s, 50s, 60s, or simply want your marriage to still feel like a marriage long after the kids are grown - this episode is for you.

And this week, I’m giving you one simple place to start: ask your partner a question you haven’t asked in a while. You may be surprised by what you don’t know.

For more relationship support and free resources, visit jenfunkcoaching.com.

Download Jen’s free guide, 5 Simple Habits to Improve Your Relationship Today, at https://www.jenfunkcoaching.com/5simplehabits

Or sign up to receive Jen's weekly newsletter filled with relationship tips and tools at https://www.jenfunkcoaching.com/newsletter

You can also check out Jen on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@jenfunkcoaching