Understanding and Managing Grief, January 14 - January 27, 2024

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

There is a rising tide of positivity around the new year that can feel difficult for those suffering. Ambitious goals and resolutions can exacerbate discouragement or grief. An alternative approach is to focus on ways to steady and support yourself. How to Approach 2024 if Heavy-Hearted or Grief-Stricken « Psychology Today

Grief affects everyone differently, and its depth depends on how central the loss is to your identity. You grieve the loss of an emotion, not a thing, person, or ability. Time rarely, if ever, heals your grief. By seeking new ways to experience positive emotions, you can move towards happiness and rebuild your life. Can You Choose Not to Grieve? 4 Surprising Steps to Yes « Psychology Today

So what does it mean to be on hospice? For those unfamiliar, it doesn't mean that patients stop receiving medical care. It simply means that a patient's medical condition makes it unlikely (not certain) that they will die withing six months of initiating hospice care. The Value of Hospice « Life and Limb

Owning a pet could help to slow verbal memory, verbal fluency, and composite verbal cognition decline in older adults living on their own, according to recent prospective cohort study results published in JAMA Network Open. Pet Ownership Could Slow Cognitive Decline in Older Adults Living Alone « Neurology Learning Network

Euphemisms for death abound, and it's easier to lie to kids and skip an uncomfortable, unsettling conversation. But those euphemisms might actually do more damage. Stop lying to your children about death. Why you need to tell them the truth. « USA Today

One of the most difficult psychological processes for us is the one in which we attempt to let go. We lose all kinds of things during a lifetime. A relationship that has ended—either through death or separation of some kind—is one of the hardest. What stops us from letting go? Let’s look at some of the reasons. Why Can't I Let Go? « Psychology Today

To help me overcome it and start the healing process, my counselor gave me an exercise. Write a list of words to describe what you’re feeling. I didn’t know how to begin so I came up with the idea to use the alphabet. Here is the A to Z list I started Anger, Beaten, Calloused, Drowning, Empathy, Frightened, Grouchy, Hurt, Irritated, Jealous, Knowledge, Lonely, Mess, Needed, Offended, Pissed, Quiet, Rage, Sad, Tired, Unsure, Vulnerable, Worried, Xenodochy, Yelling and Zestful. How the Alphabet Helped Me Manage My Grief More Healthily and Productively « Centering

Disruptions in normal sleep patterns are very common in the first weeks and months of grief. If you're having trouble sleeping, you might try some of the simple methods recommended by experts in accredited sleep centers: Updated today: Tips for Coping with Sleeplessness in Grief « Grief Healing

For most married couples, being sexually intimate with each other feels good. Nevertheless, people in mourning often get the idea (whether it is rational or not) that when they do anything that makes them feel good, they are betraying the person who died. Grief and Sexuality « Grief Healing

When I read in an online ALS grief group to “be the things you loved most about the people who are gone,” I immediately recognized a glimmer of hope. I realized that losing my husband, Jeff, to ALS did not mean losing all of the things that I loved about him. While it didn’t dissipate my grief, it gave me something concrete to organize around when I was newly bereaved, and still does. Jeff is gone, but the things I loved about him don’t have to be. How I learn to live from those we’ve lost to ALS « ALS News Today 

In his latest book, “You’re Not Crazy – You’re Grieving: 6 Steps for Surviving Loss” (Companion Press), Alan Wolfelt answers the most common question he’s been asked over the years, as well as providing actionable steps to help individuals set out on a healthy path toward longer-term healing. A Healthy Path to Long-Term Healing « AfterTalk

"I have three other dogs and I don't feel complete any more. Tasha was the only one I had since puppyhood. The others were God's gifts to me. All three of them had been abandoned and I found them at different times in my life. I just don't feel the love for them all that I used to. Is it because I'm afraid to love that much any more? Or is it a normal part of grieving that will go away?"  When Pet Loss Affects Feelings for Those Remaining « Grief Healing 

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