Do you have a grieving friend, but you don’t know what to say or do?  

 

A typical nervous reaction is to ask if they are okay. Relentlessly. And of course, they are not.  

 

As a friend, you can end up in a ‘no man’s land’ of wanting to help, show support, and that you care, but you don’t know how. And then you’re worried about disturbing their mourning. 

 

If you’ve been unfortunate enough to go through a significant loss, you may have found that the loss continued in the form of friends who didn’t show up. 

 

This is something that we hear from grievers on a regular basis. While we’re not here to make excuses for them, we can give you some plausible explanations. 

 

As the first wave of COVID-19 victims’ families reach the six-month milestone, and the pain of loss isn’t getting any easier, we wanted to give you some hope. And it has nothing to do with time being a great healer. All time does is pass. 

 

There will inevitably be anniversaries, and no day will pass without a thought crossing your mind about your loved one. As you reach six months without them, anniversaries, birthdays, the anniversary of their death, and other occasions without them will no doubt trigger those feelings of loss and often the raw, overwhelming, consuming pain all over again. 

Teaching children from an early age to deal with what life throws at them will only help their future emotional wellbeing. The first of six values in our Open Ears programme looks at being present. Being present helps children to develop good listening skills, including listening to themselves. Being present also helps them to reduce their stress levels, feel calmer and more centred, relaxed and more positive. 

Taking place 9th-15th October every year, Baby Loss Awareness Week aims to raise awareness about pregnancy and baby loss in the UK. Stigma and silence often mean families feel isolated in their grief. COVID-19 has made this worse. 

 

Today, guest blogger and Grief Recovery Specialist Detola Amure shares her story. 

This is a time for compassion and empathy. As we go back into local lockdowns and the rate of infection increases, anxiety is also rising. Getting through the day can be hard enough for some. 

 

We are calling on you to take notice, listen, and comfort others without trying to fix, analyse or explain, or change the topic back to yourself.