Finding My Way – Coping with Grief

Finding My Way Brochure (PDF)

Once a grieving person has moved through the initial stages of grief, it is common for them to wonder… “Am I normal? Do other people feel this way?”

It is sometimes difficult for friends or family to fully understand that grief takes time. It can be extremely helpful to participate in a group with others who are also dealing with loss and are apt to say, “Yes, I’ve felt that way too”. Such confirmation and support can be deeply healing.

In this group, you will share your story, explore your feelings, engage in relaxation exercises, create personal ritual, and explore the art of journaling. Why?

The Stories

People who are grieving need a safe place to share, a place where they don’t have to worry if they cry, a place to be silent if they wish, or to reflect on the changes death has wrought. In telling your story, you begin a journey of discovering who you will be without your loved one. Grieving people ask, “When will I get back to normal?” Telling your story doesn’t help you get back to “that normal”; it helps you find a “new normal”.

Exploring Feelings

Grief can be an incredible roller coaster of emotions. One minute you feel you are getting on nicely and the next you are blindsided by intense emotions. It can be as simple as hearing a song on the radio that brings back a “whoosh” of feelings that leave you asking yourself, “is this normal?” Sharing these feelings with others helps to “normalize” your experience.

Relaxation

Grief depresses the immune system, leaving you vulnerable to illness. Relaxation techniques have proven to be effective in boosting the immune system and assist in sleeping. It provides a natural way to harness your own healing abilities.

Ritual

Today, even funerals are optional and often we lose the rituals that once provided us with meaningful ways to acknowledge our losses and for our communities to respond in support. By creating short rituals, each grieving person can find meaningful ways to express the significance of their own loss and support others within the community of the group.

Journaling

Like any form of art, journaling allows for self-expression. In the midst of the whirlwind of grief it is good to have a place where intense emotions can be safely brought to the surface.

Finding My Way is a structured eight-week program for individuals who have already moved through the initial stages of raw grief. Please call Nanaimo Hospice at 758-8857 for more information.