Understanding and Managing Grief, May 26 - June 1, 2024

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

The disorienting nature of grief can create a sense of duality in our reality. Adapting to a new life without our loved one isn't easy, but it is possible. Many grievers report feeling as though they are in a parallel life with their loved one just out of reach. Why Your Old Life Can Feel Just Out of Reach « Psychology Today

When we fool ourselves into thinking that a living funeral is a substitute for a funeral after the death, we may well be tricking ourselves into thinking we can go around our grief instead of through our grief. We’re not really initiating our mourning. Instead, we may be trying to stop it before it begins. So we are well served to remind ourselves and teach others that a gathering before the death is not a substitute for a meaningful funeral. “Living Funerals” They Just Might Be Out of Order « AfterTalk

With the average lifespan of 82.6 years, [we] potentially can know a succession of cats, dogs, fish, birds, reptiles or other pets. They share and enrich our lives and, hopefully, we do the same for them. As we age, so too do our pets. It is a reality that their lives are (mostly) shorter. They have such vitality and then they don’t. We have to say goodbye to a string of fur friends. Fish get flushed and gerbils get a shoebox burial. It hurts; it is very painful for all ages to experience loss. Sometimes, the ache is greater than the death of a human friend. You age - and so do your pets and the prospect of grief « The Intelligencer

When we are struggling with grief, music can lift us up, take us out of our current mood, and transport us to another time and place. When we cannot find the words, a particular song may express our thoughts and feelings even better than we are able to do. Whether with lyrics or without, music can be used as an escape or a respite from our pain, or as a form of relaxation or meditation while we confront our sorrow. Music helps us to remember the one who died, and it can help to bring a sense of balance, peace and harmony back into our lives, even if only for a moment. Using Music to Move Through Grief « Grief Healing

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