Coping with grief during the holidays [Video]

Psychologist Lisa Rowbottom joined CTV Morning Live’s Kent Morrison for a few healthy ideas to help people cope with grief during the holiday season.

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Kent Morrison: The holidays are a complicated time, and grief can make them more difficult. Does it seem at this time of the year that these feelings of grief can come up even if someone isn’t lost recently?

Lisa Rowbottom: Any time of year when there’s sort of traditional gatherings of people, or even birthdays, that we really start to notice that the person is absent. The bigger part they played in whatever event is happening, the more we’re going to notice they’re not there.

Kent: As these feelings come up and they will, what can we do?

Lisa: I think the first thing to do is not be shocked that you’re experiencing them. It’s very normal. As much as people don’t like feeling it, grief is …