Helping my mom get started after loss of a child

mskbear

I was wondering if anyone has dealt with something similar. A few years ago, my little sister passed away at the age of 17 from a lifelong illness. My mom was her caretaker 24/7, so they were VERY close to each other.

My mom would like to lose weight but says that when she walks or gets on a treadmill, there is no distraction and her mind wanders back to her grief (and guilt that the death could've been her fault, which it wasn't). She gets overcome with sadness and can't continue. She hardly talks about this and isn't the type of person to seek help.

Has anyone who lost a child had a similar issue with working out? It must be so much harder for her as the mother than it is for me as a sibling, so I can't know what she's going through. Tough love isn't right for the situation. Occasionally I bring her with me to work out, but there isn't much time to do that every day.