It’s difficult to return to normal life after losing a loved one. Even getting out of bed, eating and sleeping can be a challenge. If you’re unable to sleep well after the death of a loved one, try the following tips.
If we are 100% honest, I believe all of us who have become Suddenly Single will admit there were times — particularly in those first days and weeks when we were afraid. Maybe even terrified. The future seemed uncertain. More decisions had to be made than one single brain could handle. If you think back … Read More
I’m currently reading the book Grief is a Journey by Dr. Kenneth Doka. In my counselling work, I often quote him as the grief specialist who coined the term, disenfranchised grief. (Disenfranchised grief refers to grief that is not recognized by others.) Therefore, I was pleased to discover he had written a more general book … Read More
Black. Black. Black. Stand at the entry point of any women’s wear store between the months of September and March and look side to side, front to back. Then, imagine that every black item of clothing in that store disappeared in a blink. What’s left? Not much. For most of my life I avoided wearing … Read More
Many of us begin the new year by resolving to do better than we did in the past year. This blog post isn’t for you who are recently bereaved but for those who are down that road a little way, for those who are learning to be single. When we are just putting ourselves together … Read More
Regardless of whether you celebrate Christmas, celebrate a different holiday, or try your best to avoid celebrating at all during the weeks of late December/early January, the feeling in the air is that this has to be The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Even if it’s not. Even if the past year has been … Read More
Dear Jerry, Well, hello again. Guess what I found? A letter I had written and somehow missed sending. My goodness, I am dropping the ball here. I promised you, with all good intentions, that I’d share some ideas with you for helping your mom and I start, and then get distracted by my own life. … Read More
If you have been online, or out and about, you will invariably have been bombarded with Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukah, Merry Christmas. And in just over a month, you will hear, once again, Happy New Years. We are heading into the season of celebration, consumption (shopping!),and family gatherings. And, for those who … Read More
Dear Jerry, I thought about you often this week and wondered how you and your mom are doing. You popped into my head when I talked about secondary losses with a client and so I decided, as, I had some time today, to write and explain what that means. You may not have heard of secondary losses before — I … Read More
Dear Jerry, Oh my… I’m so sorry. I meant to write this letter last week but the time just got away on me. I know that’s not a great excuse but it’s the only one I have. As both your friend and a grief counsellor, I promised you I’d write out some thoughts every week … Read More
Dear Jerry, I just got your message saying that your dad had died. I’m so sorry. I can only imagine how tough this is for you. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you when you needed me. Unfortunately, I only got your message this morning as I’ve been away in the mountains — intentionally … Read More
If you’ve been following (and hopefully reading) Suddenly Single Survival Guide for a while, you will have noticed that some of my posts are to the page Mourning Minutes. As of today, there are 20 short readings on that page. Gradually more will be added. Mourning Minutes was inspired by the participants in a bereavement … Read More
