Losing a mother can certainly have a profound impact on your life. Even as adults, we still need our parents’ presence from time to time.

The psychological effects of losing a mother in childhood are different from losing a mother as an adult.

In childhood, the loss of a parent can be devastating and cause significant lifelong trauma. As an adult, it is unfortunate to lose a parent, but it is much easier for most people to deal with. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be effects on your mental health as a result of this loss.

Before we look at the psychological effects of losing a mother, let’s take a look at the stages of grief. Many of us learn about this stage in school, but there may be a few people who have never heard of these stages before.

denial
Anger
compromise
depression
Acceptance

The psychological effects of losing a mother
Now, with this basic knowledge of the stages of grief, you can better understand some of the psychological effects that I will mention below. It is important to note that the normal grieving process means moving through the stages to acceptance.

There is no time limit to achieving integrated grief or acceptance, but there are different ideas about what is healthy and what is unhealthy. Below are some of the psychological issues you may experience when you lose your mother.

1. Increased risk of depression
   Maternal loss can increase the risk of depression. If you already suffer from depression, this life event can make your negative symptoms worse.

Some symptoms of depression include sleep problems, lethargy, and frequent crying. The death of a family member in this way can also increase the dissociation associated with depression.

2. Prolonged grief disorder
   Normal grief when losing a mother has a process as I mentioned above. It often changes from symptoms of crying and restlessness (acute grief) to acceptance (complete grief), which is the last stage of grief.

However, some affects show signs of remaining in acute distress, somewhere between denial and bargaining. The adult child becomes fixated on the deceased person. In this case, you may experience lack of sleep, lack of interest in life, and emptiness. This condition can also affect relationships, causing isolation.

3. Increased anxiety about aging
   When adult children witness the death of their mother, it may remind them of their mother’s death. This reminder, although essentially normal, can become an obsession that leads to anxiety.

If you recently lost your mother, you may be concerned about your physical health, especially matters related to the natural aging process. While you may be turning to more physical activity to improve your health, you may also find yourself overwhelmed by anxious thoughts about your death.

While death comes to all of us, it is important to live life to the fullest. It’s important to notice signs of existential anxiety as soon as possible.

4. Drug abuse
   It appears that drug abuse can result from various life experiences. If you lose a parent, it’s not uncommon. Losing a mother can be stressful, even to the point of psychological distress.

Sadness doesn’t go away quickly, and you may try to “drown your sorrows” in alcohol – sometimes people see drugs as a quick fix too. Excessive drinking poses a danger to you and others. This is why it’s important to seek help after the loss of a parent if you already drink.

5. Decreased self-esteem
   When grief hits, your emotional stability is shattered, at least temporarily. When your emotions get out of control, you can misplace your sense of self for a while.

This negatively affects your self-esteem because you are confused about your identity, considering that you have no control over your emotions. After losing a mother, a significant decline in self-worth can occur before you even realize what happened.

6. Feelings of displacement
   After losing a mother, some people feel completely displaced in the community. This usually happens if you are very close to your mother or are still living at home. If the loss is sudden, this feeling of displacement can be very intense.

To make matters more complicated, this feeling can last for weeks, even months. In rare cases, you can become stuck in these feelings. It is very important to seek professional help if you are having problems reintegrating into society after the death of a loved one.

Life and death: a natural process

We were born and therefore we will also die. No one lives forever. Yes, it sounds silly to say it, but many people struggle with the thought of death, especially when they lose a loved one.

There are many psychological effects of losing a mother, and these are just a few of them. Losing a loved one is intense, and sometimes it brings out hidden parts of us. It is important to remember that if any feelings become too strong for us to handle, we should seek help.

Together, we can navigate this life, this ever-changing existence. Together, we can find peace and strength to achieve our goals and dreams. never give up!