7 Tips For Dealing With Holidays After Losing Your Mother
1. Do not throw yourself into work in an effort to keep busy It may only add more stress. Finding distractions does not bring resolutions.
2. Do not stay home alone shut in with the world shut out. Accept invitations to be with close family or friends, do not be afraid to enjoy yourself let people show their love and appreciation for you. Choose the invites that sound most appealing at the time and avoid the ones that feel more like obligation.
3. Let someone that you trust know that you're having a tough time. Talk about your feelings don’t let them pile up inside. Getting your feelings out will help make you feel better. Reminisce with family and friends sharing good memories about your mother.
4. Do not hide your feelings from your children in an effort to be strong for them or protect them. You'll only be teaching them to deny their own feelings. It is okay to miss your mother; it is okay to remember her. Do not be afraid to cry, crying is like the valve on a pressure cooker it lets the steam out.
5. Incorporate your mother into the holidays by making a donation in her name. Assist with feeding the less fortunate by volunteering at a shelter or soup kitchen. This selfless act will help combat your sorrow; one of life’s greatest pleasures is to help someone else. Get outside of yourself and your own pain by bringing joy to others. In turn, it will bring gladness and appreciate back unto you.
6. Do not put undue pressure on yourself by demanding that you act and feel a certain way. Your emotions are real and need to pass through and it is ok to take time to experience them. Things will be little different without your mother during the holidays, nevertheless you can still experience happiness and enjoyment. Do not punish yourself by feeling as if you should not be happy during times of celebrations because your mother is no longer here.
7. Laugh! Laugh! Laugh! Laughter is contagious. Laughter produces a general sense of well-being, it reduces stress hormones and it triggering the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers.