Mother’s Day can be beautiful for some people.

For others, it can feel incredibly heavy.

This year, as Mental Health Awareness Month overlaps with Mother’s Day, I find myself thinking deeply about grief, loss, and the emotions we often try so hard to hide from the world.

Losing my mother changed me in ways I still struggle to fully explain. Grief does not follow a timeline, and it certainly does not disappear simply because enough time has passed. Some days, the memories bring comfort. Other days, they bring an ache so deep it feels impossible to put into words.

What people often do not realize is that grief can coexist with strength.

You can continue showing up for work, caring for others, leading teams, smiling in public, and still carry heartbreak quietly inside of you. Many people become experts at functioning while hurting.

But carrying grief silently can become exhausting.

Mental Health Awareness Month is an important reminder that emotional pain deserves the same attention and compassion as physical pain. We often encourage people to “stay strong,” but true strength sometimes means admitting that things feel heavy.

There is no weakness in having feelings.

There is no weakness in crying unexpectedly.

There is no weakness in struggling during anniversaries, holidays, birthdays, or random moments that suddenly bring memories rushing back.

And there is absolutely no weakness in asking for help.

As healthcare professionals, responders, caregivers, and helpers, many of us are conditioned to support everyone else while neglecting ourselves. We become skilled at pushing through stress, trauma, exhaustion, and grief because we feel responsible for being the steady one for others.

But even the strongest people need support sometimes.

Grief can affect sleep, concentration, relationships, motivation, physical health, and emotional well-being. It can create loneliness even when surrounded by people. It can make holidays feel isolating instead of joyful.

The truth is that healing is not about “getting over” someone you loved. It is about learning how to carry their memory while still allowing yourself to live, feel, grow, and seek joy again.

If this Mother’s Day feels painful for you, please know you are not alone.

Maybe you lost your mother.
Maybe you lost a child.
Maybe your relationship with your mother is complicated.
Maybe infertility, estrangement, trauma, or loss makes this day difficult in ways others cannot see.

Your feelings are valid.

Mental health conversations matter because so many people are quietly carrying burdens they rarely speak about openly. Sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply check on one another and create space for honesty without judgment.

And if the grief ever feels too heavy, please reach for support.

Talk to someone you trust.
Lean on your community.
Seek counseling if needed.
Allow yourself grace during difficult moments.

You do not have to carry everything alone.

This Mother’s Day, I am holding onto both grief and gratitude, gratitude for the love, lessons, memories, and strength my mother gave me, and grief for the space her absence still leaves behind.

Both can exist at the same time.

And that is okay.

In loving memory or Kiki