The At-Home New Year’s Eve Grief Retreat Schedule Is Below. Get The Full Playlist When You Join Awaken Online Grief Support. As the New Year’s Eve countdown ball drops, it may feel as though your grieving heart drops too. While many people welcome the clean slate of the New Year, those of us who lost a loved
When you’re grieving, it can feel like you are in the loneliest place in the world. Even if you’re surrounded by friends and family who love you, the ache of loss can make you feel like no one really understands what you’re going through. And honestly? That’s because often they don’t. Grief has this unique way
The holiday season can be hard when you’re grieving, and if you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re definitely not alone. I created Awaken Grief Support Program because I know what it’s like to face the holidays carrying the weight of loss—my first loss happened just before Thanksgiving and forever changed my family. Since then, supporting others through this season
In this article, I’ve listed 15 ways to honor your deceased loved one and organized it into three sections—individual, family, rituals for children—so you can choose the activities that best fit your Thanksgiving gathering. Thanksgiving has always been a time of mixed emotions for me. My first Thanksgiving after losing my Uncle Doug left a lasting
Thanksgiving is a holiday that centers on family gatherings, shared meals, and giving thanks. But for children who are grieving, Thanksgiving can be filled with mixed emotions and painful reminders of a loved one who is no longer there. This holiday, which emphasizes gratitude and togetherness, may feel like a difficult day to get through,
The holiday season, especially Thanksgiving, can be one of the hardest times of the year for those who are grieving. The absence of a loved one feels sharper when we gather around the table, filling seats with family and friends, while the one we miss is simply… missing. Thanksgiving, with all its emphasis on gratitude
Journaling through grief can feel intimidating, especially when you’re not sure where to start. Trust me, I get it—sitting down with a blank page can be tough when emotions are painfully raw. But having a gentle structure, like these prompts, can make it easier to begin. Each writing prompt is designed to help you explore
Our ability to feel loss deeply, be it the death of a loved one or a significant non-death loss like the end of a relationship or a big life change, shows we’re engaged in the full spectrum of human experiences. It proves we’re alive and fully invested in our relationships and passions. So feeling the
The key to a calm, connected holiday season lies in clear, compassionate communication. Boundaries aren’t walls—they’re pathways to peace and understanding. In a previous article, we shared 7 Tips to Cope with Difficult People and Holiday Grief, which offers practical strategies for navigating family gatherings and handling challenging personalities. In this article, we’ll dive deeper into
Grieving a Complicated Relationship vs. Complicated GriefThe grief that follows a complicated relationship and what we call complicated grief (now clinically termed Prolonged Grief Disorder) are two distinct experiences, though they may overlap. Grieving a complicated relationship involves mourning someone with whom we had mixed or ambivalent feelings—perhaps there was love alongside pain, connection mixed with
For those grieving, the winter holidays—from Thanksgiving through Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s—can bring mixed emotions. Honoring your needs during this time is important in finding resilience and meaning, even while mourning. A balanced approach that combines coping skills for managing sudden triggers and planned self-care for deeper emotional restoration can help support you
As many of us in the U.S. navigate the current climate of election season, anxiety can run high, adding to the emotional weight of grief. The uncertainty, tension, and heightened emotions surrounding political events can amplify existing feelings of loss and stress. It’s more important than ever to prioritize tending to yourself during this time. Remember, your
I have been divorced now for over two years. And as I approach what would have been my 12th anniversary on October 31, 2024, I finally feel ready to talk about divorce loss in a public way. As an expert in the field of death-related grief, I know academically there are similarities and differences between
