For a Better You

  Even though grief is a human experience many grievers feel alone. Sometimes numbers can shed light on the magnitude of grief on our society and also normalize our experience to help us see that we are not alone. There are 2.6 million deaths per year in the United States resulting in 13 million grievers annually averaging five grievers per death. (According to US Census Bureau) The GRM Guide for Loss A person dies every 15.2 minutes each day (94.8 each day). Somewhere between 15 and 20 percent of those who lose a loved one will experience complicated grief. Between 22% and 30% of college...

Grief under normal conditions can be hard. Add a pandemic to the equation and there's another layer of grief to contend with. Grief is the normal reaction to loss. According to The Grief Recovery Method, in addition to death, there are, "40 other life events that can create feelings of grief." The pandemic has brought many of these losses to the forefront. Unfortunately, we've lost people we love during this difficult time. In addition, secondary to the pandemic, most of us are faced with non-death losses as well. Both can include feelings of anger, loneliness, despair, sadness, hopelessness, ...

 I have always been a rather optimistic person. More times than not, I see the glass half full instead of half empty. But, being a generally positive person does not mean that following one's goals, dreams, or ideas always come easy. Like most of us, the little critic in my head kept me planted solidly – literally holding on for dear life -- in my comfort zone far too many times. I could always find a reason to believe that something would not succeed because of this, that or the other. It didn't matter. What I've come to know for sure is that I was afraid to say YES! Why? Because saying ...

 "My heart aches." "It's too much to bear." "I don't know how I'll get through this." These are statements frequently made by someone grieving a loss or death. Maybe these ring true for you. Grief can bring on devastatingly painful emotions. So much so that you might wonder if you're "going crazy." No, you're not crazy – you're grieving. Grief is the normal response to the loss of anything or anyone important in your life. Understanding the feelings and symptoms of grief are important to healing. You can try to avoid the emotions associated with a loss but doing so does not make them go a...

Grieving the loss of a loved one can be a painful and lonely experience. You're flooded with intense emotions that can literally stop you in your tracks. Most people don't know how to mange grief in a way that is healing and transformative. You rely on things you've heard throughout your lifetime about death and grief to help you get through it. However, some of this information might work against you rather than help you. To help you sort through what's good and what's not so good, here are ten common myths about grief. Myth #1: At some point, grief will come to an end. Maybe you've heard som...

Traditionally, holidays are spent with people that we love and cherish the most. We create memories and engage in traditions that are near and dear to who we are. Some take for granted that these things will carry on forever. That is, until someone you love dies. Dealing with the loss of this person might be hard. However, dealing with the loss of this person around the holidays can be especially painful – particularly the first year. Holidays tend to amplify the loss. The sadness, hurt, tears, and anger might intensify. Your desire to participate in celebratory activities might be low. Additi...