Understanding and Managing Grief, December 3 - December 9, 2023

Best selections from Grief Healing's X feed this week:

It’s now widely accepted that the lingering residue of unprocessed shame, grief and trauma remains in the body and can lead to depression, persistent pain and even death. What is often diagnosed as depression is actually low-level, chronic grief, shame and despair. When we avoid feeling and fully expressing our pain, we resign ourselves to a life lived in this dimmed existence. And we don’t even realise that we’re doing it. How Our Grief Opens Us Up to Life « The Good Men Project

While I am still grieving, I wanted to share what has been helpful for me within my grieving experience while running a business and living a full life in hopes that this will serve, be helpful and useful for you if you are going through or will be going through grief. Grief, Death and Entrepreneurship — 6 Useful Ways to Manage Loss While Growing A Business « Entrepreneur

We spend a huge part of our day at our workplaces and as a result, the relation- ships we cultivate become an integral part of our life. When we lose a colleague, it leaves us with a feeling of grief and a vacuum. Our work relationships, where we work, talk, and laugh together, often take the form of a chosen family and sometimes they become what I call our family of friends. When we lose them, we don’t remain the same and our workplaces don’t remain the same either. It’s okay to acknowledge this. Make room for grief at the workplace too « Mint Lounge 

Traditional methods of grief therapy involved "breaking bonds" with the deceased. The Continuing Bonds approach to bereavement views connections with the deceased as a natural process. An approach called the "psychomanteum" often results in perceived contact with the deceased and reduced grief. Is There a Therapeutic Benefit to After-Death Communication? « Psychology Today

We’re living in a profoundly dark time. Images of death and destruction are all over social media, our notifications endlessly ping with awful news, and it feels impossible to look away as others suffer. It makes sense that it feels like a lot. Simply turning away from difficult feelings—overwhelming uncertainty, grief, existential dread—isn’t the answer. Instead, acknowledging your emotions and where they’re coming from helps you take care of yourself and better equips you to show up for others too. 7 Therapists Share Their Best Advice for Coping With Existential Dread and Grief  « SELF

To lose a sibling is painful, and the weight of grief can seem almost unbearable and be even more profound during the holidays, according to professionals. Rather than times of family togetherness, sharing, and thanksgiving, holidays can bring feelings of sadness, loss, and emptiness for those who have lost loved ones. The grief of losing a loved one and sibling to suicide « The Birmingham Times

Grief is individual and its journey cannot be prescribed. There is a necessary balance between individual and collective mourning. Our national response to the pandemic has left us isolated and dislocated. The Fingerprint of Grief « Psychology Today

Five days, Tom Barklage knew, was not enough time to recover from the death of his son. That was the message he relayed in a short email to Johnson & Johnson senior management in November 2021, less than a month after the sudden death of 17-year-old Blake from an undiagnosed infection that attacked his heart. The plea turned out to be a key factor in J&J’s July decision to increase bereavement leave from five days — the average across corporate America — to 30. How Much Time Off Should You Get to Mourn? Bosses Extend Grief Leave « BNN Bloomberg

December 1st, 2022 was the worst day of my life. Absolutely no contest. It was that morning when I learned that one of my only friends from high school had passed away. Autumn had a long and brave battle with a very rare type of cancer, and she was in pain. But no matter what I tried to tell myself, it didn’t feel real and it certainly didn’t feel like it was fair. I mean, why would it? It has never been fair when an 18-year-old dies. It was Thursday of the last week of classes, which made matters a whole lot worse considering it was the last day of my Tuesday-Thursday courses and attendance was NOT OPTIONAL. Anniversary Grief: What It Is, Why You Should Care, and Coping in College « Her Campus

National Grief Awareness Week is observed from Dec.2 to Dec.8 to raise awareness and support those going through personal losses.Many times, people genuinely want to help someone in grief, but a lack of knowledge about the process and uncertainty on how to communicate effectively can hold them back from offering support. This week, let's get some valuable insights from experts on how to help someone who is grieving. National Grief Awareness Week: Experts Share Tips To Support Someone Grieving « Medical Daily

"I haven't done much with my husband's personal belongings. So far, I've been telling myself to wait to tackle all this until I feel stronger. But now I'm getting anxious that these tasks are piling up around me. I'm confused about what to do first, and my inner parent is telling me, 'These things won't go away, slacker. You have to do something about them, ASAP.' " In Grief: Sorting A Loved One's Personal Belongings « Grief Healing

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