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grieving
With a little knowledge, practice, some training and experience, death feels less scary.
We are never truly alone, and our colleagues can be of great support when we lean on each other in difficult times.
These events are points at which the living can come together, support each other and remember the impact the individual made on their respective lives.
When we lose someone after the fact who at one time — past tense — played a role in our story, it's a strange and lonely land.
It's important to remind yourself that intense grief is temporary, and it shouldn't stop you from redefining the meaning of joy this holiday season.
Everyone is allowed to have a bad day. Actually, even two.
For anyone who's lost a pet, the heartache is significant and can last a long time. Feelings of grief can cause mental distraction, loss of appetite, bouts of extreme sadness and even lasting depression. Why, then, are we expected to get back to work after the loss of a pet without being allowed to take time off?
Nothing feels safe. Nothing feels right. And there is the "who-cares-anymore" well of depression. You are in a place you never imagined, much less prepared for: you are in hell. Dealing with this anguish and sorrow is a rocky, uneven road. Eventually, you manage to put one foot in front of the other, even if you have been robotic and numb.
When my dad died I asked the rabbi 'why' and 'how' this could have happened. He said in time we would come to see it the other way around. Instead of looking at why did we lose him so soon, we would see how lucky we were to have him so long. It took a while to get there, but we have arrived.
How do you deal with emotional pain? The kind of pain that sits in your heart and occasionally (sometimes without warning) breaks your heart just a little bit, and you feel an overwhelming urge to cry. Many of us can relate to that.
