I Am A Griever

Joyce- Learning to live with grief

Joyce shares a story of support from a friend and how she managed in her early grief

What Can Help with Early Traumatic Grief?

When your child dies you are thrown into a nightmare. None of this is expected to be easy.
Even after several months, it still isn’t. There have been some things that have helped us during
our grief. Maybe they will help you, too.

Jim – Supporting someone in crisis

Jim talks about supporting someone in crisis and how being there for them can help. That may mean answering the phone at 2am, taking them to the doctor’s appointment, and checking tup on them. It’s not easy, but it’s the right thing to do. He was fortunate to have a friend who did this for him, and is still grateful for their support. If you know someone who is struggling, don’t be afraid to step up. It could make all the difference.

Keeping Records

I pulled the photos out of their envelope one at a time, turning over each one to carefully record the date, place, and people in the photo. Sometimes, I included comments. “Apple picking in Hamilton with Pop Pop, Fall, 2023. You loved the wagon ride!”. I slipped each picture into an empty pocket in my son’s photo album.

Caileigh – Sharing grief experience to spread hope and kindness

Caileigh talks about taking the opportunity to share her personal and professional grief experiences as a way to spread hope and to spread kindness.

Joyce – Mothers supporting mothers in grief

Joyce talks about the value of a support network of other mothers who have lost

Joyce – Using my grief experience to help people

Joyce talks about the positive experiences she has in helping other people in grief

Scott – Music that can transport you somewhere else

Scott explains his thoughts about the emotional connection of music and how it can transport you

The ties that bind; grieving the loss of a sibling

When my three brothers and I were growing up and the proverbial hit the fan, Mum would often say, in a bid to keep her brood calm, ‘Well, at least we are all still here.’ She reminded me of this affectionate saying only very recently. I can still recall how I felt as a child…

Jessica’s Reflections as an Adult Grieving Child

Parents or trusted adults are people children often turn to for support, but my circle of trusted adults was shrinking. My peers were focused on what to wear on civvies day (a day where we didn’t have to wear a uniform), while I was focused on just surviving.

Lyss – Responsibilities

Lyss talks about her mother’s death, being the eldest and how it has effected the way she feels about responsibilities

Jim – Triggers

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Jim discusses triggers, how to recognize them and develop coping mechanisms to help deal with the strong emotions that they can cause