Understanding and Managing Grief and Pet Loss, October 24 - October 30, 2021

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

When COVID-19 began to spread throughout the U.S., our team felt a strong call of action in response to the overwhelming mental health crisis we saw unfolding before us. We began to explore online resources that could help bereaved people address their grief, manage their painful emotions, build resilience, and improve their mental health and well-being. COVID-Internet Resource Guide « Stony Brook University (pdf) 

Helping others through the lens of your own experience can be therapeutic, even as you continue to mourn your own loss. Five Ways You Can Use Your Own Experience Of Loss To Help Others Who Are Grieving « Forbes

The loss of a pet is one of the most deeply life-altering events, yet seldom acknowledged in the workplace. It's time for that to change. Grief And Loss: Why Pet Bereavement Is Very Real And Should Be Respected In The Workplace « Above the Law

Studies show that typically less than 10% of bereaved individuals experience PGD. However, a new study shows that now, more than 30%of bereaved individuals experience PGD or Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder, and this increase is associated with a loved one dying of COVID-19. Prolonged grief amidst COVID-19 is affecting the mental health of millions of families « Highlander 

The sympathy card you meant to mail sits on your desk, unsent, because you just don’t know what to say. You default to a text or email saying, "I’m so sorry. Let me know if you need anything" and then wonder, was that the right thing to do? You don't know what the protocol is anymore. Is It Rude To Ask How Someone Died? Grief Etiquette 101 « YourTango 

If grief continues for an extended period of time and interferes with your everyday activities, it may be considered complicated grief or prolonged grief disorder. What Is Complicated Grief and When to Get Help « Everyday Health 

If you lost someone this year, you may not want to participate in any celebration, and you don’t have to. Focus on what you need. Choose the observances that help you, and ignore the rest. Halloween: Our Day of the Dead « Widower's Grief 

What would you have wanted to hear from friends close to you --on the first anniversary of the day a parent has passed? What words are there to formulate at such a sad day -- which also offers an ear of support? On The Anniversary of A Parent’s Death: What Words Help? « Grief Healing 

While just about everyone has an idea of what it means to grieve, psychologists and therapists who study grief say that there is a lot more to the experience than most of us fully appreciate. Grief: Causes, Types, Stages, How to Cope With It, and When to Get Help « Everyday Health 

Simply put, Day of the Dead is an annual festival dedicated to remembering lost loved ones and, yes, to mock something we fear. The underlying belief is that the dead can come back at this time to the land of the living, but it is no coincidence that it occurs at the end of the harvest, when fields die to sustain the living. Coming to terms with grief: the psychological perks of Day of the Dead « Mexico News Daily

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below. If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here.