Death and Grief During a Pandemic

Weathering the Intense Emotions of Grief

Grief often comes with powerful, unpredictable emotional shifts that can be painful to experience. While it’s important to find ways to sit with these feelings, to acknowledge the pain of grief and accept loss, it’s also necessary to find ways to ease and manage the pain. There are several simple activities that you can explore to help.

Karyn and Aidan – Our story

Karyn and Aidan – Karyn tells the story leading up to John’s death during the pandemic

Andrea – Couples versus being single

Andrea talks about becoming single when her husband died

Jane – Grief and meditation

Jane shares how she practices daily meditation and how that helps her manage her thoughts and feelings.

Jean – My Story

Jean talks about isolation and grieving during a pandemic

The Reflection Room® project: How storytelling supports processing grief

The Reflection Room project is an evidence-based participatory art installation that was developed by researchers at the SE Research Centre and Memorial University in 2016. The project included a research component that evaluated the impact of Reflection Rooms as the project adapted over time to address changing needs.

Maureen – “Not being able to be with your loved one”

Maureen discusses ideas of how you can honour a loved now until it is safe to come together.

Christian – Grieving spaces

Christian talks grieving spaces and people coming together when grieving

Kim – You can get through this

Kim talks about the difference between her Dad and her Mum’s death

Sharron “Grieving During the Pandemic”

Sharron talks about how Covid-19 has really affected and disrupted the way people are grieving.

Birthdays, Anniversaries, and Other Special Days

When we are grieving, some days are more difficult than others. Grief comes in waves like the sea and can feel like an intertwining labyrinth of emotions. Birthdays, anniversaries, and special dates that are associated with our loved one who has died can contribute to more emotionally intense days which can be worsened through the anticipation and “what ifs” of the upcoming day. These difficult days can leave us feeling defeated and it can almost feel like we’ve taken two steps backward in our grieving process, but grief does not have a timeline, and these feelings of setbacks are opportunities for healing.

Zoreena – Ask for help

Zoreena explains how important it is to ask for help