Coping During the Pandemic

Coping During the Pandemic Playlists

View video playlists related to specific topics, including both participants and grief professionals. Use the controls at the top-left to navigate videos within each playlist or use the larger arrows to view additional playlists.

Grief Stories features short videos, podcast interviews, and blog posts offering ideas for coping with grief. The tools and activities on this website are intended to be used as a resource for people who are grieving, those who are supporting grievers and healthcare professionals. The information provided is NOT meant to be a substitute for professional therapy.

All content, including our videos, is vetted by health care experts.

Grief Involves Powerful Emotions.

Experiencing loss during the pandemic includes all the usual challenges of grief. It also involves navigating on-going changes and uncertainty that impact how we honour and remember someone who has died.

From isolation during illness to restrictions on gatherings for funerals and memorials, all aspects of loss are affected. At the same time, we're coping with anxiety and struggles in our day-to-day lives brought on by the realities of the pandemic. At Grief Stories, we're grateful for the support of Northumberland United Way in creating supportive content for those experiencing loss during the pandemic.

Content Funded By

Northumberland United Way logo

Northumberland United Way

We are thankful for the Northumberland United Way Grant Funding that was distributed to respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in our community.

Pandemic-Related Blog

Anticipatory Grief During a Pandemic

Posted in

Post by Maureen Pollard, MSW, RSW It is 2020 and the world is gripped by a relentless pandemic. The news is filled…

Practical Possibilities for Mourning in a Pandemic

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Post by Maureen Pollard, MSW, RSW Practical Possibilities for Mourning in a Pandemic When someone we care about dies, we have a…

Ways to Mourn During the Pandemic

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Post by Maureen Pollard, MSW, RSW Ways to Mourn During the Pandemic The restrictions related to the global pandemic are intended to…

Lake in a forest

When You Can’t Be There As a Loved One Dies

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Post by Maureen Pollard, MSW, RSW There are times when we have some warning that a loved one is dying. We can…

All Pandemic-Related Videos

Coping during the pandemic
  • Coping during the pandemic

Jean – What grief feels like physically

Jean – What grief feels like physically

Jean discusses the physical effects she has experienced in grief

Zoreena – Ask for help

Zoreena – Ask for help

Zoreena explains how important it is to ask for help

Karyn and Aidan – Challenges with COVID restrictions

Karyn and Aidan – Challenges with COVID restrictions

Karyn and Aidan discuss the COVID restrictions on visitations and how they managed

Nicole – Pandemic’s Effect on Safe Spaces and Mental Health Access

Nicole – Pandemic’s Effect on Safe Spaces and Mental Health Access

Nicole discusses how the pandemic affected access to safe spaces and shelters for those living rough and living with addiction.

Jean – It’s all about love

Jean – It’s all about love

Jean talks about losing her husband to a heart attack on valentines day

Lynda – “Helping a griever during the pandemic”

Lynda – “Helping a griever during the pandemic”

Lynda shares tips on helping someone in grief

Andrea – Couples versus being single

Andrea – Couples versus being single

Andrea talks about becoming single when her husband died

Lynda – “Old age home and guilt”

Lynda – “Old age home and guilt”

Lynda discusses how hard it is during the pandemic to have a loved on in an old age home

Jessica M – A Parking Lot Memorial

Jessica M – A Parking Lot Memorial

Jessica shares how her family gathered after her uncle died during COVID and how her family came up with a creative way of getting together in a parking lot.

Jane – Connection, place, and grief

Jane – Connection, place, and grief

Jane talks about the difference between living alone in Toronto while grieving during the pandemic compared to her experience once she moved closer to her family in Northumberland.