Teen Grief: Mourning The Death of A Friend

Photo credit: Abby Martin

[Reviewed and updated February 24, 2020]

Because children and teens grieve differently than adults, their needs, especially support through the grieving process, are often overlooked. Consequently, children and teens are frequently forgotten, even invalidated, as mourners.  ~ Kirsti A. Dyer, MD, MS

A reader writes: When I was 12 years old, my best friend in the whole world died, one month before her 12th birthday. She was in the swimming pool playing that game—you know, who can hold their breath the longest—she was under but when she came up she inhaled a lot of water. She stood up and went over to the ladder and she was wheezing. She got up to the ladder and fell backwards, but her cousin caught her.

Caregiving and Hospice, October 18 - October 24, 2015

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

Coping with the Impending Death of a Loved One, http://j.mp/1MY8OAc « Pallimed

Do You Have 'The Little Blue Book' in Your House? http://j.mp/1NVl5H6 « HuffPost Healthy Living

A Son Reflects on Father's Cancer Death, http://j.mp/1W4WVJ7 « AfterTalk

Understanding and Managing Grief, October 18 - October 24, 2015

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

Everything Doesn't Happen For A Reason, http://j.mp/205os1P « The Adversity Within

Grief Is Hard, http://j.mp/204WhAj « Stunned By Grief

On child loss and lessons learned: After Grief,  http://j.mp/1WaiuIr « Responsibility.org

Coping with Pet Loss, October 18 - October 24, 2015

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

Veterinarian starts pet hospice business, http://j.mp/1jEsq10 « Contra Costa Times

An old dog teaches you more than you’d like to know about mortality http://j.mp/1PD3Aug « The Washington Post

Pet Loss: How Long Before Adopting Another? http://j.mp/1jQvoPv « Grief Healing

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.

Pet Loss: How Long Before Adopting Another?

Source

[Reviewed and updated December 28, 2019]

Through heartache and horror, joy and revelry, she was a companion. A comfort. A wonder in all her brilliance and empathy. She was a witness to my life, a thread of certain love and continuity. ~ Rachel Waters, Requiem For An Old, Gray Cat

A reader writes: How much time is enough to grieve between losing one pet and getting another?

My response: Many people worry that getting another pet too soon after losing the one they loved so much is somehow an act of disloyalty to the one who died – but like everything else in grief, that is a very individual matter and varies widely from one person to the next.

Caregiving and Hospice, October 11 - October 17, 2015

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

Interview: How Music Provides Comfort in End of Life, http://j.mp/1LrKiTn « SevenPonds Blog

‘We soothe souls.’ How end-of-life care can make a difference, http://j.mp/1MCsSIg « The Guardian

Funny Video - The iShiva App, http://j.mp/1G9yPLt « A Good Goodbye

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.

Understanding and Managing Grief, October 11 - October 17, 2015

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

Useful Tips: Grief Hacks: Lists and Little Journals, http://j.mp/1NeNAfv « What's Your Grief?

What They Don’t Tell You About Grief, http://j.mp/1ZFBwe9 « Thought Catalog

I'm the Relationship Vulture: If you have a flaw, I'll circle until I find it. http://j.mp/1GHB57F « Widow Chick

Voices of Experience: Reflections for a Grieving Heart

Chapel of the Holy Cross, Sedona AZ (Photo credit: Wickipedia)

By Anne M. Gorman

The following list is compiled from the many resources that helped me along my way after the death of my beloved husband, Jim, in May of 2012.

1) How to Meditate in A Moment ~ One-Moment Meditation, by Martin Boroson

2) 3 Meditations ~ Excerpts from Oriental Sunrise, by Riley and Gabriel Lee

3) Asking for Nothing .... and Receiving Everything ~ 30 Minute Meditation, by The Reach Approach

Caregiving and Hospice, October 4 - October 10, 2015

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

California assisted suicide bill signed into law, what next? http://j.mp/1OVv0fv « GeriPal

Free online course to help talk about end of life care, http://j.mp/1jb0xxp « ehospice

Compassionate Companions: Understanding the Final Moments of Life, http://j.mp/1jb0nGg « Seven Ponds Blog

Understanding and Managing Grief, October 4 - October 10, 2015

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

5 Things Not To Say To A Grieving Parent, http://j.mp/1FWGxbZ « Her View From Home

What You Say To Someone Who's Grieving Vs. What They Hear, http://j.mp/1jfxDfu « BuzzFeed

Can you die of a broken heart? Broken Hearted, http://j.mp/1L6YEZb « Barbara Karnes, RN

In Grief: Acknowledging Jealousy and Anger

Source

[Reviewed and updated March 31, 2020]

It would be impossible to estimate how much time and energy we invest in trying to fix, change and deny our emotions - especially the ones that shake us at our very core, like hurt, jealousy, loneliness, shame, rage and grief.  ~ Debbie Ford

A reader writes: My counselor came. We talked. I told her about my horrible feelings about other people who have been ill and are recovering. Instead of feeling good for them like a proper empathetic person should do, I feel sorry that they are getting better. How totally awful is that? My counselor said that it's anger that my husband died and they didn't. She said she asked me way back if I felt anger at my husband’s death and I said No. She said now the anger is coming out in resentment that others have survived and my husband has not. I think she may be right. I have struggled with this because it seems such a horrible attitude.

Caregiving and Hospice, September 27 - October 3, 2015

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

A physicians group's baseless objections to advance care planning, http://j.mp/1KMlWT3 « GeriPal

Health-Care Chaplains Use Online Chats to Extend Reach, http://j.mp/1Jyvmkn « Wall Street Journal

Final Messages of the Dying, http://j.mp/1FD0FiT « Seven Ponds Blog

Understanding and Managing Grief, September 27 - October 3, 2015

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

Family Misunderstanding After A Death, http://j.mp/1jDtVMt « What's Your Grief?

Why Listening Can Be A Gift, http://j.mp/1NYA3dp « HuffPost Quiet Revolution

In Grief: Aversion to Thoughts Of "Acceptance" and "Moving On," http://j.mp/1NWWAr9 « Grief Healing

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.

Coping with Pet Loss, September 27 - October 3, 2015

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

For veterinary students, the hardest lesson of all is saying goodbye, http://j.mp/1NYzoZm « The Washington Post

3 Stages of Pet Hospice Care: Part 2, http://j.mp/1iXJnTU « Gentle Journey

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.