From How to Survive Mother's Day (Top Ten List)...

7. Plan activities that you enjoy.

Now is a great time to do something fun for yourself. Whenever you go through a painful phase of your life, it is easy to forget that life is supposed to have joy in it. We slip into a mindset of “I will be happy when…” and forget that the only time we have is now. Even in the midst of a very painful time, you can find ways to inject a little joy into your life. No, having fun for an afternoon is not going to completely alleviate the pain forever, but it sure is a nice reprieve.

Do you have a hobby that you enjoy? Make your hobby a priority for the next several days. Is there a hobby that you have always wanted to learn? Now is a good time to focus on it. Whether you have always wanted to learn how to play the piano, knit, golf, or ride horses, this would be a great time to invest in that hobby. As you put your energy into learning something new, you are spending less time thinking about your misery as Mother’s Day approaches.

Learning how to play the piano was particularly healing for me. This was something I always wanted to learn how to do, but I did not buy myself a piano until a couple of years ago. Playing the piano meets an artistic need in myself but is also very logical and mathematical, which engages the logical side of my brain. When I am playing the piano, there is no past or future, only now. Whatever challenges that I am facing in my life melt away for a while as I focus on learning how to play a new song.

In addition to focusing on hobbies, investing in friendships is another fun way to get through this time. A night out “with the girls” can be incredibly healing. There is no replacing laughter as a healing agent. Just be sure to go out with friends who are looking to have fun, not those who are looking to cry into their beers. This is a time to nurture yourself, not others.

Related Topics:

• Top Ten List: Surviving Mother’s Day



• Surviving Mother’s Day Series


• Surviving the Wait: Christmas, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day



• Mother's Day Hard All Around