‘Times are challenging’: Many El Pasoans still coping with loss as Mother’s Day approaches
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Mother's Day is just around the corner, and while the day offers a chance to celebrate loved ones, the holiday will be tougher on some than others. The day can present new challenges for those who have recently lost a parent.
Hanna Garza, a clinical therapist at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, said it can be important to allow yourself space to grieve. Give yourself time to express feelings and emotions, rather than suppressing them. This can be especially important for a child.
"Really showing them a lot of empathy and support," Garza said. "[Spend] time with that child and reassuring that even still times are really, really challenging and difficult, but allowing them to cry, allowing them to talk and allowing them not to hold some of those emotions inside."
Garza also recommends visiting a grave to pay respects. The visit could help you feel closer to the relative they lost.
She also recommends not spending the holiday alone.
"One of the things that is very important is having that support, having someone who can listen, having someone who is able to be there and support them," Garza said. "Not to isolate, but to be with someone that they trust and someone that they can share those feelings and emotions with."
Garza also recommends writing a letter to a late relative. While you might not be able to deliver it, it can help you express feelings that might otherwise be suppressed. You can then save the letter or release it to nature in an effort to find closure.
