Psychologist shares strategies for navigating Mother’s Day grief
Mother’s Day can be a trying time for those who have lost a mother or a child, or for those who have difficult familial relationships.
However, there are strategies to help cope with these feelings of grief and to be supportive of those around you who are navigating them.
Psychologist Syras Derksen said like many other holidays, Mother’s Day can serve as a painful reminder to some.
“These are seasons where we’re talking about attachment. When you have these deep attachments, you can have this deep pain, the pain of not being able to get that attachment, the pain of losing it, of it not going the way that you’d like it to go,” he said.
The psychologist said he often encourages his clients who may be dreading these types of holidays to go into a process of acceptance rather than anticipation, noting the anticipation can often be worse than the reality.
Additionally, he said it’s important to be mindful when you’re celebrating of the people around you who could be struggling and to acknowledge it.
“You don’t need to have deep words. You don’t need to have insightful things to say, or even all that helpful things to say. Just to acknowledge it is usually enough,” he said.
Overall, Derksen said offering to do something practical to help someone who is grieving can also go a long way.
If someone may seem withdrawn during celebrations, Derksen doesn’t recommend trying to pull them out of their grief. However, he said it can be revisited during a less emotional time to make a strategy for the next time.
Above all, he said simply being there can make a big difference to those who are grieving.
“People are tremendously resilient and believing in that other person’s resilience, believing in the human spirit’s ability to go through these things is very important.”
- With files from CTV’s Nicole Dubé
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.