Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there. The wish on this Mother’s Day is – happiness. But this is not always the reality. Life is full of other emotions too.
Sadness.
Anger.
Disgust.
Surprise.
Guilt.
Fear.
This is normal, especially if you are flooded with images of the “perfect Mother’s Day” on your social media feed, it can get you down if yours doesn’t seem as “perfect.”
Life may be like a box of chocolates, but it’s not usually like a Mother’s Day advertisement for flowers either!
I don’t have any magic suggestions to guarantee a happy Mother’s Day to you and yours. However, if you are hurting – know that you are not alone…
If you are missing your mother or a child, you are not alone. If you are grieving the fact that you never became a mother or if you are worrying that you may never become a mother, it’s not just you.
Maybe you’re angry because you didn’t have a great relationship with your mum.
Maybe you are mad because you made your own Mother’s Day brunch or frustrated because, even on Mother’s day, you did not get to use the bathroom by yourself.
Perhaps you are worrying that you’re a bad mum or that bad things are going to happen to your child.
You would not be the only one if you are feeling guilty for not doing more (or “enough”) for your children or your own mother.
It could be that even on Mother’s Day, you feel overwhelmed and under appreciated.
If you’ve lost a loved one, you may feel like you’re missing a little piece of your heart. If you’re adjusting to being a new mother, you may be feeling like you are missing a piece of yourself.
Mother’s Day is a less than happy day for many people. Emotions are complex, multi-layered. You may even find yourself feeling joy and sadness all at the same time. If you are struggling and happiness seems out of reach, try aiming for a “Mindful Mother’s Day” this year. Instead of resisting, blocking, suppressing, or trying to get rid of your emotions, try using mindfulness to manage your Mother’s Day feelings.
Practicing mindfulness of current emotions is a strategy for letting go of emotional suffering.
Try these tips:
1. Observe your emotion
2. Experience your emotion as a wave coming and going, then surf the emotion wave
3. Don’t try to push way your emotion or amplify it
4. Remember, you are not your emotion
5. Practice accepting your emotion and not judging it
On Mother’s Day, feel whatever you feel.
Mindful Mother’s Day to you.