Grief Support

Question

My mom spends hours a day on forums about grief and depression since my dad died 8 months ago. I am glad she has this social support that she finds comforting but I am a little worried that she is spending too much time and that it is now actually preventing her from moving forward. If she is online on these sites for 6 to 8 hours a day should I be very concerned. She is retired.

Dr. Lani Chin · Accepted Answer

Thanks for your post. My condolences for your loss. Your mother is lucky to have you on her side.

I understand you are concerned because your mother has been spending a lot of time online in forums about grief and depression. It sounds like she has been having a tough time adjusting to the loss of your father. What do you think she could be doing if she wasn't spending so much time online? Could you help her get reacquainted with hobbies and/or interests she had before the loss? Sometimes people don't know what to do after they've loss their partner because many of the hobbies/interests remind them too much of their loved one. Could this be the case for your mother? Also, does your mother have a social support system? If she has friends, maybe you could reach out to them to invite her to lunch, see a movie, etc.

Again, your mother is very lucky to have you on her side. Good luck to the both of you.

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