Don’t ask yourself what you’re grateful for. Try these questions instead.

What might it look like if your grief and gratitude sat side by side, simply breathing in the same space?

You aren’t obligated to feel grateful in your grief.

Grief activates grief. If you’re feeling extra tender right now, it might be more than what you’re aware of on the surface.

When you’re grieving, there’s so little of your brainspace that’s available for skillfully handling people’s unhelpful advice or nosy questions. This is where scripts come in.

While there’s no preparing for our most profound losses, how much more equipped might we be if we allowed our grief in the little moments and not just the big ones?

How looking back can help you look forward: When you find yourself stuck in the foreverness of your pain, remember that you may not be as stuck as you feel.

Continuing bonds posits that not only is it normal and healthy to continue to be in relationship with those who’ve died, but that maintaining a relationship with the deceased can support us in coping with our grief and adjusting to life after loss.

Our pain isn’t optional, but sometimes we add suffering on top of our pain. Learning how to recognize and reduce our suffering is one of the ways that we can better cope with the pain of loss.

If you’re supporting a child who is grieving, here are some links and resources for information and support.