You are seen.

As a mental health therapist working with women, topics such as fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum challenges often arise in conversation. Yet there is another population that is often suffering silently — women who feel unseen, forgotten, and left out.

Women struggling with infertility, grief, pregnancy loss, child loss, or childlessness not by choice face difficult days throughout the year, but Mother’s Day can serve as an especially painful reminder of what they long for and who they miss. Whether it is the loss of a child, the struggle or inability to conceive, the loss of a mother, or simply waiting and hoping for a miracle, Mother’s Day can bring an array of emotions tied to deeply personal circumstances many women carry quietly.

These are not easy conversations to have, nor feelings that are easily expressed. As a loss mom and infertility warrior myself, Mother’s Day has always been a day filled with mixed emotions — more often the painful ones.

Clients facing these circumstances often share that they feel unseen and forgotten. While this post is geared toward women, as my practice is women-focused, these experiences affect men as well.

Let us remember those who belong to a group no one ever wanted to be part of. Let us offer empathy, comfort, and support. A simple act of kindness can make a meaningful difference: sending a text that says, “I’m thinking of you,” mailing a card, or asking, “How can I support you today?”

Anything that helps someone feel seen, remembered, and acknowledged matters.

This is how women support women, and how community supports community. Mental health and grief look different for everyone. As we recognize both Mental Health Awareness Month and Mother’s Day, let’s check in on the people around us and offer support where we can.

Acknowledgment goes further than we may ever realize.