As you begin to go out into public, return to work, or attend social events, you may notice a level of discomfort or heightened sensitivity to being in physical proximity to others. For example, I took my daughter to a mall shopping and we both felt uncomfortable with the number of people out and about. They were not coming too...[ read more ]
It marks a year since we were told to shelter at home to help stop the spread of Covid-19. The world grieved losses big and small. We all felt the collective sadness for the major losses-lives lost, people not being able to be with family members in the hospital, not having permission to hold funerals. And others-the sadness in virtual...[ read more ]
5 Tips for Teens and Parents Receiving Letters of Non-Acceptance to College Every year about this time there is a portion of the population that is dealing with a loss. You wouldn’t know about it until it happens to you or someone you know well. It affects much of the senior high school population and their loved ones, and the...[ read more ]
You must give a presentation or have a difficult conversation with someone, and you are feeling stressed. Or something just ignited your anxiety- a fearful thought or feeling. You notice your body’s physical responses - your heart beats faster, your muscles tense, chest tightens, your breathing quickens and your stomach churns. What can you do to help yourself calm down...[ read more ]
You have been talking about it for years, doing the college visits (in person or online) excited about the new adventure your child will have once there. All of the planning, packing, purchasing, preparing- some fun, some frustrating (hi teenagers), some stressful. And then she leaves and you feel it. This underlying sadness, the loss. Your brain comes in and...[ read more ]
Sometimes we feel guilt associated with the loss. “If only I would have done this, maybe she would not have died.” Or, “I feel so guilty for not spending more quality time with him.” “I should not have argued with him.” The guilt may be big or small, justified or not. Guilt is a common reaction many people experience, and...[ read more ]
Holidays are a time of traditions, rituals, and connection with loved ones. In grief they can be especially difficult. You may feel like you want to forget the holiday altogether since the traditions you have done or were expected to do are now void of his/her presence. You may not even feel able to “celebrate” at all. Grief expert David...[ read more ]
It may be hard to think about doing anything physical when you are sleep deprived and crying, but getting outside and moving your body is an activity that really helps with the anxiety experienced in grief. The physical exercise is of course appreciated by your body, and it can get your mind to focus on other thoughts, especially if you...[ read more ]
One of the many frustrations experienced in grief is that of “getting stuff done.” It’s hard to accomplish anything when you feel drained and exhausted, have recurring thoughts of the loved one who is no longer with you, are easily distracted, and frankly have no motivation to accomplish anything. Not to mention crying off and on, handling questions and comments...[ read more ]
In grief, we may become stressed due to repeated, recurrent thoughts that are related to our loss. We replay images of the person who died, or events that led up to the loss. We keep thinking “if we had only done X or if we would have done Y” maybe our loved one would not have died or left. Our...[ read more ]
