Mourning a Maternal Departure: Strategies for Daughters to Manage Grief
Navigating the grieving process after the loss of a mother can be a challenging journey. Here are some facts and resources to help you along the way.
If grief persists for more than a year or interferes with daily tasks, seeking support from a mental health professional may be beneficial. In Germany, psychological psychotherapists, psycho-oncologists, palliative care specialists, and trauma therapists are common specialists in grief therapy. These professionals can be found through specialized clinics, palliative care services like medidoc, or psychotherapy practices.
Grief can have a profound impact on daily life, and it's not uncommon to experience regret for lost family traditions and cultural knowledge, or to struggle with managing painful memories. However, focusing on happy reminders like pictures, books, or keepsakes can provide comfort during this difficult time.
Local support groups, online chat forums, and mental health professionals can also offer assistance during the grieving process. Mindfulness, the ability to focus on the moment, can help manage these painful memories.
Honoring a mother's memory can take many forms, such as donating to her favourite charity or achieving a personal goal she always wanted. Offering maternal support to others who have experienced parental loss can also be beneficial, not just for the receiver but for the giver as well.
It's important to remember that everyone grieves differently, and daughters may experience grief differently than sons. A 2015 study found that women have a more intense grief response and more difficulty adjusting to the loss of a parent. Women who experience the loss of a mother are also more likely than men to binge drink, have a greater decline in self-esteem, and have a lower level of personal mastery (personal growth).
The death of a mother can also have more negative effects on daughters than on sons, according to a study. However, keeping up with traditions from your mother or starting your own traditions may help ease the burden of loss.
If grief becomes unbearable, resources such as the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, Crisis Text Line, and Befrienders Worldwide are available for immediate help. Books like 'Healing After the Loss of Your Mother,' 'Motherless Daughters,' and 'How to Survive the Loss of a Parent' may provide comfort and guidance during the grieving process.
Lastly, it's worth noting that the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) lists a variety of normal emotions in the year following parental loss, such as regret, remorse, anxiety, guilt, emptiness, rage, anger, sadness, and numbness. It's important to remember that these emotions are a natural part of the grieving process and are not a sign of weakness.
In conclusion, navigating the grieving process after the loss of a mother can be a challenging journey, but there are many resources available to help. Seeking support from mental health professionals, local support groups, online forums, and books can provide comfort and guidance during this difficult time.
