On the second Sunday of May, stores burst with Mother's Day cards, and social media is plastered with mom appreciation posts. For some, it's hard. We should consider that Mother's Day is also associated with pain and grief. One may also have a negative relationship with their mother. “Often doing something for somebody else is the best antidote to grieving the mother you didn't get”, Melody Bacon, Chair of the Marital and Family Therapy Programme, Chicago School of Professional Psychology. If you're a mom yourself, practice gratitude for motherhood and enjoy the day with your kids. Spend the day with a woman who is your mother figure, maybe an aunt or an older friend. If you spend the day with your mother, stay away from topics that might result in conflict. “Mother's Day can be a time to open your heart to forgiveness and free yourself of the burden of carrying so many difficulties in the past”, Lois Braverman, President of the Ackerman Institute for the Family. If your mother has passed away, grief may be revisiting you on Mother's Day. Perhaps write a letter to her, telling her what you wish you could say now. Death does not end a relationship. Reminisce about her with family and friends, or visit her place of rest to feel closer to her. If you are not a mother or do not have a relationship with yours, Mother's Day is also for celebrating the women in your life who are moms.