When it comes to grief and the holidays, making a plan is essential. I don’t generally recommend a Plan C but I do recommend a Plan A and a Plan B. You really don’t know how you’re going to feel when the holiday gets here but you can make a plan nonetheless. It might be […]
Make a Plan for Getting Through The Holidays When You’re Grieving Read More »
No matter how you plan for the holidays, or any other special day you shared with your loved one, it is especially important to plan on how you are going to take care of yourself. Here are some suggestions specifically focused on getting through the holidays. I hope they help. 1. Take good care of yourself.
When You’re Grieving, Take Especially Good Care of Yourself Through the Holidays Read More »
Anticipation of any holiday is almost always worse than the reality. This is also true for every birthday, anniversary and special day you may have shared. Your apprehension is understandable. You don’t know exactly how you’re going to feel. You know you’re going to be sad and you imagine it’s all going to be positively
When You’re Grieving, Anticipation is Harder than the Reality Read More »
Many grief counselors believe all death is traumatic. I don’t agree. I have worked with too many people who have experienced the peaceful death of a loved one to believe all deaths are traumatic. Even with a peaceful death, however, the grief is painful but not traumatic. Personally, I think of grief and trauma as
Grief is many things, but at its most fundamental level it is a transformational journey. We are profoundly changed by the experience of grief. Understanding the entire journey as the personal transformation that it is, can help put the daily roller coaster ride into perspective. Listen to the Podcast Summary We are not healing grief.
Grief, in and of itself, is overwhelming. It is a massive change in your life, and it doesn’t make sense to your head or your heart. Plus, you are trying to manage the daily activities in your life. When we’re grieving managing all of that can seem impossible. In this video I talk about the
“Healing through grief does not mean remaining unchanged.” ~ How to Survive Your Grief The capacity and willingness to be changed by death may be the distinguishing characteristic between those who heal from loss and those who don’t. In end of life care, we often talk about how people die the way they have lived.
Changed by Death: How willing are you to be transformed? Read More »
Though my love, my passion, and my greatest satisfaction, comes from helping people heal following the death of someone they love, I have also worked with folks wanting to access their creativity, artists and non-artists alike. I’m pretty fond of that work too. Among the benefits…it renews me and provides a balance that allows me
In grief…creativity, spirituality and healing are inextricably linked Read More »
I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that the study of grief is best left to the poets and mystics among us. Grief has more in common with love than with any diagnosable disorder. With every attempt to define grief with symptoms and timelines, we end up diminishing our understanding of the grieving process rather
In Western culture, death and grieving are often seen as something to be avoided at all costs. We’re certainly not supposed to fall apart. Wrong! Sometimes we just need to fall apart and it doesn’t need to be “treated”. Throughout the grieving process what most need more than anything else, is to have their grief