Exhale: A Blog for Women’s Mental & Emotional Health
Grief is a universal human experience, one that touches all of us at some point in our lives. It is the complex and deeply personal response to loss and, though it is something everyone experiences, each person's path is unique. Rather than being a linear process with a definitive end, grief is a lifelong journey that weaves its way into the very fabric of our lives.
The holidays can be challenging for many people – it is a time of year filled with celebration, but with that celebration comes reminders of things that are now different or people who are no longer with us. The holiday season can be a dichotomy of happiness and sadness at the same time. If you are a military spouse, the holidays can be extra challenging for a variety of reasons.
So many moms are still having to wear all the hats (work hat, chef hat, educator hat, etc.), while also navigating the numerous challenges COVID-19 brings to daily life. Many of us are experiencing COVID fatigue and feeling burnt out from parenting during a pandemic. And let me validate those feelings: This burnout is real.
While the openness of people in the public spotlight has begun to normalize the discussions surrounding mental health struggles, in my conversations with friends and colleagues and in my work with clients, I have found that many of us still hold self-judgment and shame over our own struggles with anxiety and depression. As I’ve talked with other women, there are three common narratives many women seem to believe about themselves and their mental health that make acceptance of one’s anxiety and depression extremely challenging.
Pregnancy is typically a time filled with celebration, joy, and eager expectation of your little one’s arrival. During pregnancy, there are milestones you look forward to: the first time you hear your baby’s heartbeat, seeing that tiny little face on an ultrasound, a gender reveal party, a baby shower thrown by loved ones, and the first time you get to finally hold your bundle of joy in your arms. And throughout these special moments, you can’t wait to be able to share them with you partner or spouse, other children, friends, and family members. But with the arrival of the coronavirus a few months ago, those of us who are pregnant found that our expectations for many of these milestones seemed to shatter around us.
When we lose a friend or a family member, the rollercoaster of thoughts and emotions that accompany our grief can be expected to a degree. This was someone who was an important part of our life, someone we had a relationship with, so of course we will grieve the loss of their life. But when a celebrity dies, we are often surprised by the intensity of the feelings we experience over the loss of a person we never had an actual relationship with.
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