coping help

I really need help with some coping techniques. My mother passed away last Sunday and it hit me hard. I tried talking to friends but there really isn't much to it. I get the "I'm sorry man" which just doesn't help. Or the "I'm know how you feel" speech which kind of makes me mad. I just need some way to help keep me moving because I still have to make it through work and through school without shutting down.

Firstly, I am sorry to hear of your loss. Losing a parent is difficult whatever age you are, and you aren't very old, it seems.

Now is the time to get support from family and friends. Try not to be annoyed when people say they know how you feel, they probably mean well but don't know how to express it.

It might help you to find people who have experienced a similar loss, either online or in real life. It helps to talk about your loss, and to remember the person you lost, the good, the not so good, the funny episodes from childhood. All of it. See if there are any support groups around you if you feel your friends don't understand. Local hospitals, hospices or funeral homes might be able to tell you if there are such groups.

If you are of a religious persuasion, it might help you to connect with your church.

Its going to be a bit of a roller coaster, with ups and downs, for a while. Gradually it evens out over time. Don't ignore your feelings or think they are wrong. And look after your physical health, don't self medicate to cope. That will only give you another set of problems.

My sincere condolences, Shawn. It's a terrible loss and something which we can never possibly be prepared of in life. You feel like losing ground and as if you are caught in a terrible nightmare while, at the same time, you have to carry on somehow and to "function". It's like being an "actor" while on the inside you are just about to break down and cry.
I think a lot of people know very well how this is and still it's hard to tell good working advice or even a "remedy" for it, because everyone is different and in each person it looks differently inside.
So I agree with the things that Jaguarundi already suggested you, Shawn. Take one day at a time and try to not demand or expect too much from yourself. Allow yourself to mourn and to grief. It is natural and it is needed and every person with even just a little compassion will fully understand and comprehend this.
I send you a sincere hug ...