In Grief: Coping with Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths.  ~ C.H. Spurgeon

A reader writes: I am trying to figure out if what I am going through is normal. I am thinking that it is probably some kind of panic or anxiety attack. It started when I had something upsetting happen totally unrelated to the death of my friend. Everything went okay with that situation but things seemed to get worse as the evening went on. Yesterday it was like I had tunnel vision all day. I felt shaky and detached. I have been restless, anxious, and feeling like I am sleep deprived when I have actually been sleeping.

Too Attached to A Pet? When Bonding May Be Unhealthy

There is such a thing as having too much of a good thing.  ~ Michelle Gomez

A reader writes: In my opinion there are just too many people around the world who love their pets more than they love people. Do you have any more detailed information\articles outlining signs of unhealthy relationships with pets? Or maybe you can point me in the right direction.

Understanding and Managing Grief, March 24 - March 30, 2024

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

Meghan Riordan Jarvis, a trauma-informed grief expert who specializes in how grief affects the body, told me that because the death of a loved one is a completely novel experience, it is "very energetically expensive." She confirmed that grief can impair our balance as well as memory and our ability to do multistep functions. Can grief make us accident-prone? « KLCC

Anxiety and Panic Attacks in Grief

A reader writes: I am trying to figure out if what I am going through is normal. I am thinking that it is probably some kind of panic or anxiety attack. It started when I had something upsetting happen totally unrelated to the death of my friend. Everything went okay with that situation but things seemed to get worse as the evening went on. Yesterday it was like I had tunnel vision all day. I felt shaky and detached.I have been restless, anxious, and feeling like I am sleep deprived when I have actually been sleeping.

Last night I had very bizarre nightmares that were very upsetting and frustrating and I am going through the day feeling odd. I have taken my blood pressure and it is low normal, cause I actually thought maybe my blood pressure had shot up or something. My heart rate is up though, close to 90 bpm. I have the sensation of panic. That's the only way I know how to describe it. Which is one of the reasons why I think this is a panic/anxiety attack. Has anyone else experienced this under the stress of a loss?  Read on here >>>

Pet Loss: When Social Support Is Lacking

[Reviewed and updated January 15, 2023]

We don't heal in isolation, but in community. ~ S. Kelley Harrell

A reader writes:  As one who loves my companion animal and thinks of him as a family member, I am especially interested in the issue of moral/social support. If my husband were to be diagnosed with leukemia, I would be flooded with cards, flowers, and casseroles from family and friends. But if my cat is diagnosed with feline leukemia, it would hardly register a blip on the consciousness of even my closest friends and family members.

Grief & Caregiving Tweets, July 28 - August 3, 2019

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

Alone, together: the comfort of a pet when you’re grieving, https://bit.ly/2LXxzDn « Sue Ryder

How To Help Children Handle Grief After The Death Of A Parent, https://j.mp/2LZhUU2 « HuffPost Life

‘Like Being in an Ocean’: The Many Stages of Grief, https://j.mp/330tSlK « Web MD

Caregiving and Hospice, March 31 - April 6, 2019

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

Hospice of the Valley program offers the dying solace, companionship, http://j.mp/2OPX1t8 « AZCentral

Growing Old Is Better With a Pet. Here's Why, http://j.mp/2uNs2oa « TIME

Palliative Care instead of “pseudomedicine” for dementia? http://j.mp/2OBYNh9 « CaregivingOldGuy.website

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. 

Loving A Pet Too Much: When Bonding May Be Unhealthy

Find the latest version of this post here:

Too Attached to A Pet? When Bonding May Be Unhealthy

A reader writes: In my opinion there are just too many people around the world who love their pets more than they love people. Do you have any more detailed information\articles outlining signs of unhealthy relationships with pets? Or maybe you can point me in the right direction.

Caregiving and Hospice, October 16 - October 22, 2016

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

Book: LGBTQ-Inclusive Hospice and Palliative Care http://amzn.to/2dvweOg « Columbia University Press

How Palliative Care Can Help You, http://bit.ly/2eisFOV « Get Palliative Care

Study Confirms Benefits of Early Palliative Care, http://bit.ly/2dqyR3S « National Cancer Institute

Coping with Pet Loss, March 29 - April 4, 2015

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

Requiem for an Old, Gray Cat, http://j.mp/1DwqeAC « Huff Post GPS for the Soul

Deciding on After-Death Care for A Cherished Pet, http://j.mp/1xOKZp8 « Grief Healing Blog

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: Keeping the Secret of a Cremation Mistake

[Reviewed and updated November 21, 2022]

We dance round in a ring and suppose, but the secret sits in the middle and knows. ~ Robert Frost

A reader writes: I wonder if you could give me some advice. Recently our pet cat died and we decided to have her cremated so the ashes could be scattered in our garden. I have just learned from our vet who sent the cat to the crematorium that accidentally our cat was not labeled and was mass-cremated. It now leaves me with a dilemma as I know my partner will be distraught about this. Should I get another set of ashes (which my vet says they can supply) or should I tell her the truth? I honestly don’t know where to look for advice on this. I hope you can point me in the right direction. Thank you.

Caregiving and Hospice, May 12 - May 18, 2013

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

How Would I Know? What Can I Do? How to Help someone with Dementia who is in Pain or Distress, http://j.mp/14hdysw « Info Long-Term Care

Being a caregiver has made me a better doctor, http://j.mp/17LvJdF « KevinMD.com

Must read! Palliative and End-of-Life Care: Where Are We Now? http://j.mp/10bNAX2 « AJN

Should palliative care be distinguished from end of life care? http://j.mp/10EMbDV « eHospice

Caregiving: Why Change is Difficult, http://j.mp/14BusBu « Stan Goldberg, PhD

Pet Euthanasia Gone Bad

Source

[Reviewed and updated January 13, 2026]

A reader writes: We put down our 14-year-old huskie at the vet today. She had bad arthitis in her hips and knees and a skin infection we couldn't clear up, but the big thing was she had anal gland cancer. They showed it to us a month ago, and said it was aggressive. We kept her home on meds for pain and infection, and watched it. She still had a great appetite and drank up until yesterday. It just seemed like it was harder and harder for her to get up and down and walk, and that thing on her bottom had to hurt. Anyway, we took her and I don't think I'll be able to get over it if I live to 100.

Coping with Pet Loss, May 6 - May 12, 2012

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

• 7 tips to cope with loss of a pet, http://j.mp/JqqGkN  | Fox News
  
  
• Wonderful! How To Keep Your Heart Open When You Lose A Pet, http://j.mp/KAwxI0
  
  
• More hospices taking care of patients' pets, http://j.mp/JL9Mdm via @rhgerard
  
  
• Video: Rest In Peace, Silly Wagging Cookie Tail Dog, http://j.mp/M4oWRz