Tag Archives: Mental health

How to talk to children about death: tips for parents

Talking to your child about death can be hard but there are ways to make it easier; these tips will help to open up the conversation.

5 unique self-care ideas to navigate grief

When you’re grieving, doing anything to care for yourself can seem an effort, and even cause you more stress. I’ve shared five ways I found to look after myself in the early years of grief.

Health anxiety (hypochondria) after the death of a loved one

As someone who now openly admits to suffering with health anxiety, since the death of my 12-year-old daughter and three pregnancy losses, I tend to avoid any kind of health-related TV programme. In fact, I wrote this blog post about why TV alienates the grieving as it contains so much death, blood, gore and trauma.ContinueContinue reading “Health anxiety (hypochondria) after the death of a loved one”

The dark side of grief – craving escape from the mental and physical pain of loss

I recently went for my first month check-up at the doctors, to see how I’ve settled taking the antidepressants. For anyone who has not taken antidepressants before, or who hasn’t experienced anxiety – and especially for those grieving mummas out there who are finding that anxiety and depression are adding to their grief, I wantedContinueContinue reading “The dark side of grief – craving escape from the mental and physical pain of loss”

My failures as a grieving mum

I’ve failed. Life seems fractured. Daily events feel insurmountable. Relationships are strained and unstable. Work is challenging. Motivation to care, about much, is gone. I’m sharing this deeply personal post because I know for sure that I’m not alone. That out there are other mothers, in mourning, trying to hold it all together, being strongContinueContinue reading “My failures as a grieving mum”

Word of the Week: Loss

It’s World Mental Health Day today, slap bang in the middle of Baby Loss Awareness Week. So I’ve been thinking of loss – physical loss, mental loss and biblical loss! Of losing three pregnancies in my life, of the little beans that I didn’t get to meet. Of little Bella who we thought would bringContinueContinue reading “Word of the Week: Loss”

For instructions on grief, please read this leaflet…

Dear Doctor, You’ve stood with me on this journey You saw my daughter being rushed into your ICU You stabilised her You kept her young body going Gave us hope after hope that she might wake up You showed empathy when that hope was gone We’re sat together in the treatment room Now so largeContinueContinue reading “For instructions on grief, please read this leaflet…”

The whirlpool of grief

A friend shared an insightful diagram with me called ‘The whirlpool of grief’, which I thought would be good to share here (see illustration far below). As soon as I saw this, it made perfect sense to me. I recognised the many elements to the ‘process’ that were illustrated. I call it a ‘process’ becauseContinueContinue reading “The whirlpool of grief”