The holiday season is a time of togetherness for many families, regardless of which holidays you celebrate.

When we gather this holiday season, whether in person or in our hearts, we’re likely to have a heightened awareness of family. Of course, the reverse is also true: there is a heightened awareness of those missing.

This holiday season, we wanted to take a moment to acknowledge that grief is difficult in any circumstance, but perhaps particularly so over the holidays. It’s also important to note the impact of the ongoing pandemic on families. A recent study published in the medical journal Pediatrics estimated that more than 140,000 children in the U.S. lost a parent or a primary caregiver to COVID-19.

Grief and loss can take a toll mentally on the entire family. Here are 3 therapist-approved mental health coping skills to help navigate grief this holiday season.

These simple, actionable tips will help your family cope with grief and loss through the holidays and beyond.

1. Balance New and Old Traditions

One of the more difficult things about losing a loved one is experiencing shared interests and beloved experiences without them. To help your family navigate these challenges, be thoughtful about keeping the traditions that work and letting go of ones that don’t. Your family can also create new holiday traditions, just because you want to, not because you have to.

Children like rituals, predictability, and things they can look forward to. Balancing old and new traditions helps satisfy that desire for rituals and predictability, while also cultivating positive anticipation for the future.

2. Find Time for Play and Fun

When you’re grieving, having fun is hard. That said, both children and adults need to be able to take a break from their grief. Just as it’s healthy for you to show children what grief looks like, it’s also important to laugh, joke, and play.

3. Trust Your Instincts

As anyone who has navigated grief knows, there are no hard-and-fast rules. As a parent or caregiver, the most important thing you can do to help your little ones navigate grief is to make sure they feel secure, safe, and loved.

Remember, it’s okay and healthy for children to see your tears and sadness. You can ask for a hug on the harder days, and talk about happy memories together.

If you think your family could use a little extra support, trust your instincts. As a parent, you know your child best.

Please know that Little Otter is here to help and support your family’s mental health this holiday season.

All families nationwide can now access our free Holiday Family Mental Health Toolkit to get deep insights into your family’s mental health.

Little Otter is also now available to families in California, Colorado, North Carolina and Florida - register and book your Welcome Session here. If we’re not yet available in your state, you can join the early access list here to be the first to know when we are.