Happy New Year..... but, what if I'm grieving?

‘In grief, a new year feels like something we want to stop.

It feels wrong. It fills us with panic. It feels like we are being forced further and further away from them.

A whole year away. But the strike of the clock, the change of a date can’t compete.

It doesn’t stand a chance against the love that fills our hearts. That lasts forever. Forever and a day’

- Four Little Words.

The turn of a new year can feel truly overwhelming and daunting. It may feel like you are leaving your loved one behind. Please know, even if it feels like it, you really aren’t. Your loved one is more of you than you know. They will exist as long as you do, as long as they name is spoken.

Every step you take is a victory!

Sometimes, we need to look back on our grief journey to see how far we’ve come. Those steps, no matter how big or small have shaped you and allowed you to grow around your grief. Never stop moving forward with the memory of your loved one close to your heart. Every step you take is indeed a victory.

When we lose someone we love

‘When we lose someone we love,

we must learn not to live without them,

but to live with the love they left behind’.

Forever living with and guided by the love they left behind. Hoping yesterday and today have been filled with love, comfort and peace. If not, it’s ok.. it’s ok to wish things were different.
Hoping that you have felt your special person’s love and presence around you when you’ve needed it most over this holiday period.

Grief at Christmas

‘We see them in every twinkling light

and every bright start,

and know they are with us at the holidays and always’.

Our loved ones will always be a part of our Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions. Not in the way we imagined, not in the way that we wanted.. but heavy in our pockets, surrounding us with their love.

Look after yourself, you don’t need to act or feel any particular way just because it’s Christmas.
At Hope Again, we are sending love and warm thoughts at this difficult time of year.

Going to a counsellor...

‘Going to a counsellor or therapist when you’re feeling sad or overwhelmed, should be as normal as going to the doctor when you have the flu. Let’s end the stigma about mental health’.

Well said!! And going to a counsellor after a bereavement doesn’t necessarily mean you are experiencing mental health issues. It’s totally normal to feel a range of emotions when someone you love has died, grief is a normal reaction to loss. Sometimes, we might need a helping hand through that grief journey and that is ok.