emotionally intelligent grief support
COVID unified us, in a way. With everyone hurting, it became easier to talk about grief. And we had to talk about it — we couldn’t escape it. Over 600,000 American families lost someone (often more than one person) to the virus. Healthcare workers saw wartime medicine conditions. Whole cities emptied out, the silence punctuated…
The fight for LGBTQIA+ rights is not over. Violence against trans folks, especially Black trans people, continues to rise, year after year. And it’s not just targeted violence: barriers to appropriate health care result in adverse health outcomes and cause thousands of preventable deaths. In death, trans folks (like much of the queer community), are…
I know a lot of you now have my new guided grief journal in your hands or on its way to you. (I love seeing your photos of the book! ♥️) I also know that, even when you have the book in your hands, a lot of you are feeling kind of scared or overwhelmed…
There’s so much unsolicited advice and opinion floating around the grief world, it’s easy to lose track of what you actually want for yourself. Many people write to me wondering when is the “right time” to… …remove wedding rings? …repurpose someone’s bedroom or office? …clean out a closets, cupboards, or the fridge? …stop referring to…
I know a lot of you now have my new guided grief journal in your hands or on its way to you. (I love seeing your photos of the book! ♥️) I also know that, even when you have the book in your hands, a lot of you are feeling kind of scared or overwhelmed…
I’m often asked how to deal with inept remarks and suggestions from well-meaning (and not so well-meaning) friends, family, spiritual “leaders” and “professionals. In the days soon after Matt died people said such weird, mean, cruel, unthinking things. It’s unbelievable, the crap we hear. So. How do you respond? I think it depends – on…
With Pride celebrations kicking off this week – both IRL and virtual – it’s easy to feel left out. If your person is missing, parades and parties just don’t feel the same. Certainly after this last year, nothing really feels the same. Celebrations of any kind are hard when there’s a hole in your world.…
Supporting a grieving friend is hard, especially when they seem lonely. You don’t want to force someone to be social, but you do want them to know they’re loved and supported. Here are five compassionate things you can say to a grieving friend who seems lonely. 1. “Are you feeling lonely?” Grieving people won’t always…
