Understanding and Managing Grief, November 19 - November 25, 2023

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

Knowing how to respond sensitively to someone else’s bad news is the last missing piece in the jigsaw of adulthood, the life skill most of us only realise, to our dismay, we are lacking in that particular sniper’s alley of the late 40s and 50s, when everyone is seemingly running from something and it suddenly feels very important indeed to be a good friend. These are the years of losing elderly parents, but also of early heart attacks, cancer diagnoses, of friends blindsided by now-the-kids-are-grown-and-gone divorces. Lately I’ve found myself struggling too often for the right words. There’s no right thing to say to people who are grieving, but the worst thing is fearing to speak at all « The Guardian

Using Writing to Help with Grief

We do not write in order to be understood; we write in order to understand. ~ C. Day-Lewis

Because grief is an intensely personal experience, your personal grieving style will be unique to you and your individual personality. You may find it helpful to return to activities of self-expression that satisfy or relax you, or discover new ones that bring you comfort and relief, such as walking, hiking, playing golf, fishing, meditating, writing or journaling; engaging in hobbies (carpentry, gardening, photography, collecting) or arts and crafts (painting, drawing, modeling, woodworking); listening to or making music; or simply talking and crying.

Understanding and Managing Grief, December 5 - December 11, 2021

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

I’ve attended vigils and memorials and trials. But nothing brings back the dead. And so we have to learn to live with loss, as impossible as it can feel sometimes. These are some things that ease the pain of grief from someone who’s been there.  People should not run from their grief « The Bona Venture

Understanding and Managing Grief, November 22 - November 28, 2020

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

It’s your new identity without your loved one and it’s important to establish guidelines and boundaries. It’s important to make it through the holidays and do what’s best for you. Honor yourself and one day the holidays will be good again for you.  Thanksgiving Grief: You Are What You Eat « The Wellness Universe Blog

Understanding and Managing Grief, September 27 - October 3, 2020

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

Years after the devastating loss of a child, I live a happy, meaningful life once again. Yet the cycle of grief has predictable triggers. The Continuing Cycle of Grief « Alive In Memory

The pandemic is an opportunity to create a new language of mourning. To forge new ritual. How can we honor the dead in the universe of ourselves, of our homes? The Water, the Grief « Los Angeles Review of Books

Voices of Experience: Grief and Fear in My Life Today

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by Anne M. Gorman

“Research demonstrates that how we appraise or interpret a situation can influence our physiological response. So one potential option is to shift our mindset. Instead of interpreting the situation as being cut off from others, we can focus on doing this to protect those that we love. When mitigating distressing feelings of loneliness, research has found that mindfulness-based meditation as well as engaging in creative arts and expression may also be effective.

Caregiving and Hospice, December 9 - December 15, 2018

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

What Is The Advance Directive For Dementia?  http://j.mp/2BiNQLk « Seven Ponds Blog

Caregiver Checklist: 5 Things to Prepare When Caring for a Loved One at Home, http://bit.ly/2NzNMem « Hospice Red River Valley

Dr. Ira Byock Says Words are a Powerful Tool That Shape How We View Serious Illness, http://j.mp/2LfXMdf « CSU Institute for Palliative Care

Grief Healing: Where Did You Get That Name?

[Reviewed and updated September 9, 2025]

Heal-ing: (n) - the process of making or becoming sound or healthy again; (adj) - tending to heal; therapeutic. Example: "a healing experience." Synonyms: alleviate, ease, assuage, palliate, relieve, help, lessen, mitigate, attenuate, allay. ~ Marion Institute

When I was deciding many years ago what name to give my collection of Grief Healing websites, I struggled with whether to use the word “healing” in my title, because I knew that the notion of healing from grief can seem offensive to some. After all, those of us who are anticipating or coping with the loss of a loved one know full well that grief is not an illness to be cured or a physical injury from which we will recover.

Caregiving and Hospice, January 17 - January 23, 2016

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

When the Body Says No -- Caring for ourselves while caring for others, http://j.mp/1QpEsbm « YouTube

Please, Ask Me a Question, http://j.mp/23jth9m « The Unprepared Caregiver

5 things you should know about Medicare's new end-of-life discussions, http://j.mp/1PJcyT4 « PBS NewsHour

Understanding and Managing Grief, September 13 - September 19, 2015

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

Grief Bibliography, updated today: Books on grief recommended by the bereaved http://bit.ly/9J8Wa4 « Grief Healing

In grief: Put on a happy face, http://j.mp/1KVvIsn « DEW's Girl

Supporting a Grieving Child? Use Modeling http://j.mp/1Lk5LS8 « What's Your Grief?

Writing As a Healing Tool in Grief

Because grief is an intensely personal experience, your personal grieving style will be unique to you and your individual personality. You may find it helpful to return to activities of self-expression that satisfy or relax you, or discover new ones that bring you comfort and relief, such as walking, hiking, playing golf, fishing, meditating, writing or journaling; engaging in hobbies (carpentry, gardening, photography, collecting) or arts and crafts (painting, drawing, modeling, woodworking); listening to or making music; or simply talking and crying.

Writing is one of the oldest methods of self-exploration, self-expression and self-discovery. An ongoing workbook, diary or journal can be a trusted friend, available to listen to you at no cost, 24 hours a day, regardless of what mood you’re in. It accepts whatever you have to say, from the ordinary to the profound, and never chastises you for what you said. You might try using a three-ring or spiral notebook, rather than a bound journal so special that you’ll never want to write in it. Write as often as possible, but not as a chore. Once you get your pen moving, your thoughts will follow. You might begin with a meaningful quotation you found or a thought you want to remember. Read on here >>> 

Anxiety Attacks in Grief: Tools for Coping

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 . . . 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 >>> 

Understanding and Managing Grief, May 5 - May 11, 2013

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

Comforting! When Mother’s Day Isn’t Happy, http://j.mp/17RTmPk « Caregiver Stress

Wedding Day Advice: after the death of a parent, http://j.mp/134seYL « What's Your Grief?

23 Spiritualized Comfort Cliches to Avoid When a Child Dies, http://j.mp/15TLqzw « Confessions of a Funeral Director

Excellent! Grief: What Other People Say...and Don't Say, http://j.mp/16h9Kef « Stop Thief: Don't Steal My Grief

The Facade of I'm Fine: Present Moment Awareness, http://j.mp/13yAlQ5 « What's Your Grief?

Caregiving and Hospice, April 21 - April 27, 2013

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

Do patients need to know they are terminally ill? http://j.mp/12vGADT « GeriPal

Pet benefits: Vitamin P: The Secret to Health and Longevity, http://j.mp/181opcq « Huffington Post

A new approach to end-of-life and death, http://j.mp/12niif9 « Everplans

Tech Startup Helps You Manage Death of Loved One, http://on.wsj.com/12GyhV7 « Wall Street Journal

PTSD in caregivers following expected death http://ow.ly/kmJMh « Palliative Medicine Journal

Caregiving and Hospice, January 20 - January 25, 2013

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

End-of-life care rarely discussed, http://b.globe.com/WVhOcg « Boston Globe

Can I be forced to love with my mom? http://j.mp/YsMZk6 « Caregiver Stress

Important questions to ask at a physician appointment, http://ow.ly/gSsPh

Five tips for long-distance caregiving, http://ow.ly/h2EG6 via @beclosedotcom

Caregiving Resource Center: great source of online information supporting families, http://bit.ly/W0DF4E via @AARPHawaii