Home / Managing Mother’s Day by The National Bereavement Service

Managing Mother’s Day by The NBS

Mother’s Day can be hard for many people. Whether someone is childless, has experienced rejection from their mother, has a mother who has died or is terminally ill, or for myriad other reasons, it’s a day on the calendar which can be tough to get through.

Mother’s Day isn’t solely the preserve of mothers though. The day’s origins lie in the church as Mothering Sunday, celebrating the gift of mothering, nurturing and caring – qualities most of us enjoy

If you’re finding it challenging, how can you manage Mother’s Day?

Plan ahead

Ignore, turn off or opt out of posts on social media and emails
Let your imagination and feelings guide you in planning to do something that celebrates and connects you in a positive way to your emotions and those you miss
Tell family and friends how best they can support you ahead of the day

Be honest

Where there is pain in your relationship, acknowledge this and find someone you can share your feelings with
Don’t be tempted to compare your response to someone else’s. Be compassionate and only do what feels right for you
Choose to celebrate or remember in a way that nourishes you in a positive way

Connect with others

Grief is often best supported as a community, whether family, friends or others close to you
If you are grieving, it often helps to consciously connect with others who can be with you in your grief and where you can be yourself
If you know someone where there is grief around motherhood, connect with them and look out for how best to support them

Contacting the National Bereavement Service

The National Bereavement Service supports anyone who has experienced a bereavement with practical information and advice and emotional support.

For support from the NBS, call our dedicated helpline on 0800 024 6121 or visit www.theNBS.org for further information or to chat to an advisor online

Other helpful organisations:

WAY (Widowed and Young) – widowedandyoung.org.uk – For people whose life partner has died and under the age of 50

Child Bereavement UK – childbereavementuk.org – Provides help if you need to explain the death of someone close to a child or young person, as well as a variety of resources

Winston’s Wish – winstonswish.org – childhood bereavement charity
Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide – uksobs.org
The Compassionate Friends – www.tcf.org.uk – Originally founded to support parents after a child has died, including adult children, it now supports bereaved family members including grandparents and brothers or sisters of the person who has died