mental health

Stages of Grief

Uncategorized

This graph on the stages of grief is the most helpful I have ever come across. Someone shared it in a Facebook group, and I saved it. I do not know the original source. If anyone recognizes it and can cite the source, I would be grateful!

This graph is an incredibly helpful tool for anyone grappling with loss. It is vital to be able to identify each emotion as they come rushing in like a wave in order to know which coping skills on which to rely in any given moment or day.

I am grateful to have a new tool. I can use all the help I can get.

Merry & Bright

Uncategorized

It’s important to remember that not everyone is experiencing holiday cheer at this time of the year. Seasonal depression, grief over lost loved ones, and loneliness are all exacerbated by the general expectation that everyone should just be happy during the holidays.

Amid all the hustle and bustle of the season, please make an extra effort to be kind to others. Money stresses, packed calendars, and gloomy weather can wear on everyone. Extend some grace to everyone you encounter today, and maybe we can all find some peace and light during this season of darkness.

Catch & Release

Poetry

This dance of existence,/ Through which we flirt with Living and/ Tiptoe along the edges of Dying,/ Comes in the ability to balance/ the good, the trials,/ the tears and fears and giggles.

To catch those moments,/ Revel in each second of/ Awe or terror./ We bathe ourselves in its fragrance,/ Submit to its folly,/ Remove the mask of composure/ Just to feel.

Then release each in turn/ To its place in our story./ A memory or regret,/ the guilt or triumph/ No more to hold its power over us./ No longer allowing its fist to/ Clench over us holding us/ Frozen in a mold of the past/ Too small now to contain/ the growth of experience.

We dance on/ Renewed in our commitment to/ Heal and feel,/ Remember and honor, and/ Keep moving forward.