A Griever’s Guide to Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is coming up, and for many grieving people, so are a lot of emotions. We want you to know that we see you. If Mother’s Day feels like it’s going to be hard for you, we’d like to offer some tips for making it through the day. This is not a step-by-step list, and you don’t need to do all of these things, just try what feels right to you.

  1. Make a plan: Expecting that Mother’s Day will be difficult lets you make a plan for how you want to spend that day. Be gentle with yourself and try to spend some time with people who will allow you to feel how you feel.
  2. Make meaning: Do something to honor your loved one. This could be volunteering, making a donation in their name, or simply creating a new tradition around Mother’s Day.
  3. Ask for help: If you think you will need support on Mother’s Day, ask someone you can trust to support you, and try to give them an idea of what support looks like to you.
  4. Breathe: It’s ok to not be happy on Mother’s Day, and it’s ok to be happy, too. ALL FEELINGS ARE OK. Let yourself feel your feelings and if you start to feel overwhelmed, take a deep breath in through your nose while you count to three, then hold it for a count of three, then blow out through your mouth for a count of three. Repeat this two more times…or twenty.
  5. Stay off the social media: Just put away the internet for Mother’s Day. It will be there on Monday, I promise.

Our hope is that some of these ideas help you not only through big days like Mother’s Day but every other day, too.

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