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Time Sequences of Bereavement: Moving Through Loss

Posted on November 18, 2013 - by Gloria Lintermans

The loss of a spouse is one of the most difficult losses we experience as our entire day-to-day life is turned upside-down. The bereavement process following this loss may be divided into five time sequences. One to four months could be called SHOCK; five to eight months is DENIAL; nine to twelve months is ANGER; thirteen to seventeen months is DEPRESSION; eighteen to twenty four months is INTEGRATION, ADJUSTMENT and TRANSITION. While everyone experiences bereavement and mourning in his or her own way and time, predictably there are time sequences and emotions common to many. You may find yourself going […]

Embracing Holiday Bereavement

Posted on November 18, 2013 - by Cindy Adams

I had to face it, holidays would never be the same after my husband died. I soon realized that I was never going to share time with my loved one again. There would never be the traditional Christmas shopping together, putting up Christmas decorations, shopping around town for a real Christmas tree, or going to a Christmas party together. I was never going to see another smile from my loved one or hear him say “I love you”. At times it felt that life would never be joyful again. And holidays seemed the worse because of so many joyous memories. I had many other joyous moments […]

Bereavement and the Holidays: How to Celebrate When you Don’t Feel Like Celebrating

Posted on November 11, 2013 - by Lisa Khuraibet

Often times, we are reminded of our loved ones during the holidays. It is during holidays that, no matter how much we feel we have healed that our bereavement hits the hardest. I remember when my mother passed away; December 21. Our family was not only sharing in our bereavement but also facing the holidays within days. The adults were in a quandary – grieve or continue with life as we knew it for the sake of our children. I believed that our mom would have wanted us to have Christmas as we had planned, and everyone agreed. She wouldn’t […]

Asking for Help with Anticipatory Bereavement

Posted on November 11, 2013 - by Harriet Hodgson

,In the last week my husband has undergone three emergency surgeries, all of them life-threatening. I wondered how many operations he could tolerate. He is in the critical care unit of the hospital, hooked up to more tubes and wires and machines than I can count. If he survives, he many never walk again. I’m feeling intense anticipatory bereavement, wide mood swings that go from despair to hope. Because I’ve studied anticipatory grief for more than a dozen years and written about it, I recognized these feelings and realized I needed help. So I contacted family members and they rallied […]

A Dozen Bereavement Tips for Getting Through the Holidays

Posted on November 10, 2013 - by Donna Miesbach

Years ago, when my minister told me the holidays are difficult for a lot of people, I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about. Why on earth would such a joyous time be difficult? That all changed when I was working my way through the sudden loss of husband and both parents. The holidays, I quickly learned, can indeed be difficult. I also learned there are some things you can do to make them a little easier. Here are some of the things that helped me: 1. Nurture yourself every way you can ~ in big ways and […]

Holidays and Bereavement After the Loss of a Child

Posted on November 8, 2013 - by Shelley Ramsey

Today we usher in the month of November. The holidays are quickly approaching – first Thanksgiving and then Christmas quickly followed by New Year’s. I remember well the pain of those first holidays without Joseph. Prior to his death we were very traditional in the ways we celebrated, but now we didn’t know how to fill the gap among us. Learning to do that was a process. We discovered quickly that we each needed something familiar because life had become so unfamiliar. Since they were part of the fabric of our family, we chose to hang on to many of […]

Lessons Learned: Help for Bereavement During the Holidays

Posted on November 7, 2013 - by Sally Grablick

Halloween is behind us, and we all know what that means. Here come the holidays. If you are grieving, this will be a difficult time for you. What to do, where to go, how do you cope? Take my advice, and don’t try to re-invent the wheel. Instead, make use of the lessons learned by others. Take advantage of the experiences shared in books, on websites, and through support groups. Not everything you discover will work for you – but eventually you will grasp enough that does. I am saddened to say that when it comes to bereavement, I am […]

Bereavement During the Holidays

Posted on November 7, 2013 - by Nan Zastrow

Holidays are a time of great anxiety during bereavement. But it’s not just the holiday season that puts the griever at risk for emotional turmoil. Any social situation, event, or random interaction can quickly change a peaceful moment into one of confusion. If you are aware of the triggers that cause the spontaneous eruption of emotions, you may be better prepared to meet and beat these unexpected moments. These tips can help you prepare for holiday anxiety, but you can easily apply them to any event. 1. Events—trigger emotions Most social interactions trigger “beware” emotions. Mentally, we begin to conjure […]

Bereavement: Just a Word

Posted on November 6, 2013 - by Marsha Maring

The Webster dictionary describes the word bereavement as a state of being sad because a family member or friend has recently died. For anyone who has lost a loved one, they know in reality bereavement is a word that cannot be defined. Bereavement is a feeling with unknown depths triggered by love which too cannot be measured. We know love is a whole host of meanings with many acts of endearment far beyond words. So I have to wonder, if it’s difficult to describe the feeling of love, how can one put a definition on the feeling of losing it. […]

Second-Place Bereavement: When Grief Workers Need Help

Posted on November 6, 2013 - by Susan Reynolds

How can workers within end-of-life settings support themselves in dealing with their own matters of bereavement? Is it possible for them to enlist help of others or are their needs held in second place? What can you do to help? Burnout can arise both with paid and unpaid workers in this field. They can find themselves facing and tackling their personal family bereaved situations outside of work. Bereavement is loss, not just death. “ Loosing” a patient upon patient can bring one to a tipping point. Connection and disconnection is continually happening in the workplace for them. Now add changing […]