Bereavement Support at Christmas
Christmas. For many of us, it’s a time to get the tinsel out – to sit by a roaring log fire, open presents, and spend time with family and friends. Yet while it’s a season of mirth and merriment for many, that may not be the case for those who have lost a loved one. For people living with grief and bereavement, Christmas can feel like a time when the whole world around you is happy, while you are consumed with pain – a lonely time, without much magic or joy. So if you’re living with grief, bereavement, or the painful memories of a lost loved one this Christmas, please remember:
bereavement, or talking about their loved one. It is important to respect boundaries – sometimes, people don’t want to talk, and if they don’t feel able to, it is important not to push them to. Sometimes, however, we don’t want to “bring it up” out of fear of upsetting them, or because it can feel difficult to know when the ‘right time’ is, and so we stay silent. But the reality is, quite often they are feeling that pain silently themselves – and when everyone stops asking, it can lead to them feeling like they can’t talk about their loved one or their grief. When everyone stops asking, they can feel like people no longer care, and they can feel very lonely in their grief. Sometimes, just asking can show that you do care, and that you aren’t pretending that everything is okay and that it never happened.”
