I got a kitten after my mum passed - now I'm struggling.

[sparklystar]

Hi everyone. My mum passed away at the start of November and after coming back to Australia after a month back in the UK dealing with her funeral and being with my family, I adopted a 3 month old kitten. Only now that I have come back to Australia has my grief hit me like a freight train. I cry everyday, I have negative thoughts, not taking care of myself well in terms of eating and sleeping and now I have to look after a kitten. I have been thinking about this kitten for so long, was so excited to come back and get her and now she's here I'm just not sure if I can handle her and my grief at the same time. What should I do? 

[Picture]

I am so sorry for your loss sparklystar. Some gentle self care activities could be good, going for a walk, seeing some friends, going to a cafe, getting hair done. Having one nice thing per day. If you need some help with sleeping, I suggest you see a gp to see if medication is appropriate for you. Without sleep it is so hard to function. You could also ask for a mental health plan if you think it could be helpful to talk with a psychologist. Just trying to have 3 small meals can also make a difference. It may be that the kitten will grow to be a comfort to you and having to care for her can help with a routine. However, if you do not think you could cope at the moment, you could ask a friend to look after her, put her in a boarding facility or contact the cat haven in your state to see if they could arrange foster care given the circumstances. If none of those options are possible you could consider taking her to the cat haven to be rehomed. Although it is so hard now, things will get easier

[sparklystar]

Picture, thanks so much for your reply. I really like your advice. I think I am just overthinking things to be honest, I find that I am still caring for my kitten well despite me feeling terrible and not looking after myself as well. I will try and do one nice thing a day, that sounds manageable for sure. This weekend was hard as a lot of support services aren't available on the weekends but hopefully this week I'll be able to get some bereavement counseling or something of the sort.