Understanding and Managing Grief, January 19 - February 8, 2025

Best selections from Grief Healing's X feed:

[T]hat a man might actually feel a profound emotional connection to his unborn child as it lives—or dies—inside someone else’s body is not a truth we’re especially comfortable with.“My body, my choice,” the longtime rallying cry of abortion rights advocates, emphasizes exactly whose body and whose choice it isn’t. In the public imagination, men’s feelings on this topic are of no consequence; some find it inconceivable that they even have feelings at all.  The Men Who Lost Their Babies « The FreePress

Understanding and Managing Grief, November 10 - November 23, 2024

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

Grieving adults must take care of themselves first so they can take care of their kids. Model healthy grief for children by letting them know that sadness and anger are OK. Remember that everyone grieves differently and help children figure out what works for them. Find a place for joy as well as sorrow in daily life. Helping Your Kids When You're Grieving Yourself « Psychology Today

Making Comparisons in Grief

I generally find that comparison is the fast track to unhappiness. No one ever compares themselves to someone else and comes out even. Nine times out of ten, we compare ourselves to people who are somehow better than us and end up feeling more inadequate.  ~

Jack Canfield

As news about mass shootings and natural disasters continues to flood the airwaves, our hearts go out to the victims, survivors, and others who witnessed these horrific events, as well as to the people living in those places. As a nation we express our collective condolences, offer our heartfelt prayers, and work to contribute whatever we can toward their healing.

For those of us already struggling with grief, however, such catastrophic events unfortunately can give rise to feeling guilty for feeling bad, as if we don’t have a legitimate right to mourn our own individual losses.

Understanding and Managing Grief, February 7 - February 13, 2021

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

Covid-19 has taken more than 100,000 lives in the UK. Restrictions mean that no more than thirty people can go to a funeral. But a funeral is not supposed to be a small, intimate affair, in the way a wedding or baptism can be. Grief, Interrupted « LRB 

For some, the tools they have been using to cope with unprecedented loss and stress are no longer working. Grief and loss of resilience are rising because of Covid-19. What You're Feeling Is Grief « Vox

In Grief: Bombarded with Disasters

[Reviewed and updated August 28, 2022]

You can’t calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass.   ~ Timber Hawkeye

A reader writes: My only sister, who was 3 years older than me, died two months ago. She was alone in her home at the time, and was not found until three days later. My brother and I live in another state. We had not heard from our sister for a few days and called the police. They went to her home and found her in the hallway. She apparently died from a heart attack. She was 60 years old. We flew to her home town and buried her a week later.

Understanding and Managing Grief, September 20 - September 26, 2020

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

Fear + anxiety = emotional unrest, which leads immediately to insomnia. The global pandemic has made restful sleep an uphill battle.  COVID Insomnia « Laurie Burrows Grad 

I am pleased to report that both the Grief Healing Blog and the Grief Healing Discussion Groups websites continue to be fully compliant with Health on the Net Foundation’s HONcode. Grief Healing Notified of HONcode Certification! « Grief Healing

Understanding and Managing Grief, June 21 - June 27, 2015

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

What is Strength in the Face of Grief? http://j.mp/1IiKqXN « Open to Hope

Alan Wolfelt on Love And Grief, http://j.mp/1SQFFHR « Grief Digest Magazine

The First Year of Grief: Help for the Journey, http://ow.ly/NEvBa « Healing eBooks

Caregiving and Hospice, May 19 - May 25, 2013

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

How-to Use UNFRAZZLE to assist in caregiving: Articles and Videos, http://j.mp/11lWAdJ « Unfrazzle

Need Help Coping with Challenges of Caregiving? Tips from Fellow Caregivers, ow.ly/lotJp « Unfrazzle

Palliative care carries stigma that we've "given up" on the patient, http://j.mp/10Ya51m « ABC Gippsland

Talking with Families About Hospice Care, http://j.mp/14J25SM « AgingCare.com

Prepare for a good end of life: outstanding 6-minute video, http://j.mp/16bBjqm « TED Talks

Understanding and Managing Grief, May 19 - May 25, 2013

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

Is Criticism of DSM-5 'Anti-psychiatry'? huff.to/18bVAf4 « Huffington Post

“Now You’re a Soldier” http://t.co/CN6RyopvGI « FriendGrief

Helpful! When Kids Can't Remember Someone Who Died, http://j.mp/Z5fALk « What's Your Grief?

Bereaved teens face hidden challenges,  http://j.mp/14WtKis « Hospice of the Valley

The impact of grief on you and the family, http://j.mp/133QOuv « Hospice of the Bluegrass

Caregiving and Hospice, August 28 - September 3, 2011

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

• 6 good caregiving tips here: Peace for the Elderly Who Live Alone, http://ow.ly/6ixpf via @ctffox @caregivertweets

• Top 10 Most Popular CareGiving Articles in August, http://ow.ly/6jAV8 via @CaregiverTweets

• Strong Communication With Medical Staff needed in caregiving, http://ow.ly/6jTvN via @AARP @ShelleyWebbRN

• 8 caregiving questions to ask in a medications review with your patient, http://su.pr/15lo9S via @ShelleyWebbRN @ApothecaryMom

• Preventing falls as happened to First Lady Nancy Reagan last week, http://ow.ly/6ixkL via @CaregiverTweets

Understanding and Managing Grief, May 22 - May 28

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

• Ann Faison: No Timeline for Grief, http://dlvr.it/TDMsB via @houstonfunerals

• Deb Kosmer: The End of Winter Sometimes Comes Slowly, Open to Hope, http://bit.ly/kPMGXT

• Coping with Disastrous Events, http://bit.ly/kf8kQ8 via HFA blog

• Book review: 'Shift Happens': Making Sense of Life After Job Loss, aol.it/ldRKvk via @AOL @DrDignity

• 7 reasons why it's good to cry your eyes out, http://to.pbs.org/ihDxhs via @EmotionalLife

Light a Candle to Remember

On this special day, consider lighting a candle to remember the heroes of September 11, 2001: those who died that day and all the survivors and first responders who are seriously ill from its after-effects.  In solidarity with thousands of others, you can light a candle in your home or on your porch today between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 11:30 p.m., or you can light a virtual candle in cyberspace. 

How You Can Help in Haiti

As we send forth our compassionate prayers, loving thoughts and healing energy to the suffering in Haiti, the White House Office of the Press Secretary offers the following information:

For the most up to date information throughout the coming days, please continue to monitor http://www.whitehouse.gov/HaitiEarthquake.

A top priority is accounting for the thousands of American citizens who are currently in Haiti. Families of Americans living in Haiti who are trying to find the status of their loved ones are encouraged to contact the State Department at 1-888-407-4747. This line is experiencing a high volume of calls at this time, so we ask for your continued patience.

Cash donations are the most efficient and effective way to help the relief effort in Haiti right now. They allow humanitarian organizations to purchase (often within the affected region itself) the exact type and quantity of items needed by those affected by the crisis. Read about the advantages of monetary donations here. You can immediately donate to the Red Cross to assist the relief effort. Contribute online to the Red Cross, or donate $10 to be charged to your cell phone bill by texting "HAITI" to "90999." You can also find more ways to help through the Center for International Disaster Information, or through USAID’s interactive website, which has a list of NGOs and instructions on how to help: http://www.usaid.gov/.

Right now, the airport is being used to facilitate search and rescue efforts. This is a complex and difficult environment, and all of our efforts have to be focused on prioritizing and moving the right resources into Haiti that can save lives in the next 48 hours. That is why we are encouraging private citizens to focus their efforts on supporting established aid organizations that are deploying resources to Haiti, and to hold off on traveling there themselves.

We ask that you keep track of offers of in kind services and supplies being offered in your communities in the coming days so that as needs on the ground are assessed we can quickly turn around the resources and get them to Haiti. Those looking to donate time, supplies or funds should contact the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI) at 703-276-1914, or visit them online at http://www.cidi.org/incident/haiti-10a/.

We will have continued outreach calls on this issue as we continue to learn more about the situation on the ground and resources needed in the coming days. 

The American Nurses Association  issued the following announcement this afternoon: 

The American Nurses Association (ANA) would like to convey our deepest sympathies to those who have suffered incalculable losses. For nurses who have expressed an interest helping with the relief and recovery efforts, ANA encourages anyone interested in becoming a first responder to pre-register with one of the many disaster registries and response organizations that already exist. These groups ensure that volunteers will have access to training and will be utilized according to the appropriate response plans.  See Volunteer Now for further information. 

Best Friends Animal Society, along with other international animal welfare organizations, has joined the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH) . Together, they’ll be providing food, water, rabies vaccinations, safety and more for countless animals.  For updates, visit Best Friends Rapid Response.

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. 

© by Marty Tousley, RN, MS, FT, DCC