Being Childless Is Painful for Many Women: Here Are 9 Coping Strategies
Melanie Notkin contributed several ways to cope with Mother's Day when you are or were hoping to be a mother. Here's on example:
Writing down how you feel, whether in a private diary or in a sympathetic private Facebook group, can help you process your pain, Notkin says. Writing about her own grief over never becoming a mother publicly in media outlets and later for her memoir, "Otherhood," helped Notkin deal with her pain. It also helped other women realize they're not alone and helped them move forward. "I'd play songs I knew would make me feel emotional and cry it out as I wrote," Notkin says. "Writing can be truly cathartic." On Mother's Day, Notkin suggests writing out a list of 10 things you’re grateful for, and then continuing to compile such a list on a daily basis. "Grief over childlessness can feel incredibly acute at times, and it's important to acknowledge your pain," she says. "But it's even more important to keep moving forward, and the best way to do that is to acknowledge the things, experiences, achievements and people we are grateful for, whether it's a sweet hug from a little niece or nephew, a friend who acknowledges your grief without judgment or the deep tissue massage you gave yourself as a gift just for making it through the day."
Read more at US News & World Report
Leave a Reply