As of today, we are still in lockdown navigating this new normal which we all imagined would only last a few weeks. We have grieved our loved ones alone and isolated. Many of us were not able to be present at the bedside, attend a funeral or celebration of life or escape the reality of our grief with friends or family.
The pandemic has pushed our grief to new and unimaginable levels.
This week alone I have more than a dozen people reach out to me about a death of a loved one or how they are struggling with their grief.
Know you are not alone in this. We have never experienced grief in a pandemic before.
What I can suggest is to look what can we do, how can we grieve even though it looks so different.
We can include our friends and family in zoom/video funerals or life celebrations. We may only be able to have a few people at the church or funeral but we can invite others to share in that moment. You can also plan for a memorial at a later date when it’s safe. This gives us time to plan for, to connect with our loved ones.
Invite others to share stories. Whether you open up messages of condolences on the funeral home page or Facebook, encourage others to share their memories so that you can laugh, cry and be part of a community.
If your person is ill in hospital, hospice or at home arrange for a video call, have a loved one place the phone by their ear or send cards, notes, flowers or food. Sometimes what words can’t convey, flowers and food does.
These are only a few things we can do in this moment, know it will change and we will navigate it together when that time comes.
Know you are doing your best, your are human and grief is hard.
Comments