Grief is a highly personal and normal response

to life-changing events – a process

that can lead to healing and personal growth.

GRIEF IS NOT AN ENEMY

At my brother’s funeral a lady said, You seem to be doing so well.”

“No, I’m doing quite poorly, thank you,” I responded.

She did not give up, and said, “Well, you don’t seem to be upset.”  I did not want to get into any discussion, but I had acted as if nothing had happened as long as I could – and I reacted.

“If I were doing well with my grief, I would be over in the corner curled up in a fetal position crying, not standing here acting as though no one had died.”

We are doing well with our grief when we are grieving.  Somehow we have it backwards.  We think people are doing well when they aren’t crying.  Grief is a process of walking through some painful periods toward learning to cope again.

We do not walk this path without pain and tears.  When we are in the most pain, we are making the most progress.  When the pain is less we are coasting, and resting for the next steps.  People need to grieve.  Grief is not the enemy to be avoided; it is a healing path to be walked.

By Doug Manning, excerpt from

The Gift of Significance

As someone who provides support to the bereaved, I have had the honor of coming alongside a multitude of grieving individuals. Although everyone I see has a different set of circumstances and is unique, there are also commonalities. One statement I frequently hear from the newly bereaved is “I feel like I am losing my mind”. For me, this statement speaks to the intensity of emotion and the changes that can come along with grief.

As Bereavement and Grief Specialist, we are gatekeepers. Gatekeepers are persons who are in the position to recognize a crisis and warning signs that someone may be contemplating suicide.

Rituals, like a funeral or scattering ashes in a special place, are an important way for adults to say goodbye to a loved one. Bereaved children may also benefit from the chance to remember loved ones in this way. It can help them express their grief and share it with others.

The death of someone close is one of the hardest things anyone has to face. It can be especially difficult to help a child manage their grief while you’re dealing with your own. Although you can’t protect a child from the pain that follows a bereavement there are things you can do to help them come to terms with their loss.

This guide helps you console your pet through the loss of its loved one, be it a human or another animal. You will learn some of the warning signs that your pet is having a hard time dealing with her grief, as well as some of the ways you can both be there for each other as you mourn. Remember, your furry pal is dealing with a traumatic experience, too. Although she may not be able to tell you exactly how she is feeling, there are plenty of things you can do to help her return to her normal, happy self.

What do you do when grief becomes a mental health issue? Recently I lost a friend to suicide, and it made me think of all the other losses I’ve suffered. Two memories stand out in my mind–the death of my maternal grandfather to cancer and the death of my paternal grandmother to a stroke. One was a mental health issue, the other was not. There are several things people can do when grief becomes a mental health issue.

The death of a loved one is difficult for anyone, but it is a special challenge when someone in the family has dementia. It’s hard for family members to know how and when to tell the person with dementia about the death. And what should they do when the person doesn’t remember?

Getting the news that your child is dangerously–perhaps even fatally–ill is one of the most difficult things any parent will ever go through. It is life-changing, and for many, it seems like a nearly impossible task to get through it without the help of drugs or alcohol to numb the pain. What those in recovery know, however, is that substances will only make things worse in the long run. They may provide temporary relief in the now, but later, the original issue is still there and is clouded by the shame or guilt that came with the substance abuse.

It’s a terrible thing, to watch a child go through an illness or deal with life-altering consequences, and it can lead to depression and other mood disorders very quickly. For that reason, it’s imperative to make a conscious decision now to learn coping methods that are healthy and don’t require a substance. It is possible, and with a little help, you can get through it.

When someone passes away, they leave everything behind, including their belongings. It falls to the surviving loved ones to rehome or reorganize these items, from leftover food in the kitchen to linens in the closet. But remembering which housekeeping tasks need to get done among all the other final arrangements can feel overwhelming, and that’s not stress a grieving family should have to face.