While the pandemic stakes might justify using hard-hitting strategies, the nation’s social and political context right now might cause fear tactics to backfire.
Tag: death
The ‘Grief Pandemic’ Will Torment Americans for Years
The optimism generated by vaccines and falling infection rates has blinded many Americans to the deep sorrow and depression of those around them.
Please Don’t Tell Me How to Grieve
We are not taught how to grieve. Acknowledging that death is inevitable means that we have to come face-to-face with our own mortality and the mortality of everyone we love in this world. It’s incredibly scary.
Death Threat: The Unique Dangers of Grieving in Recovery
Though I’ve developed tools for dealing with heartache and anguish in sobriety, this level of grief is a sadness on steroids against which I feel futile and frightened. My father’s older brother, Stephen Dale, died at age 69 in mid-August. He was more than the family’s patriarch; he was its ballast, its mooring. The home… Continue reading Death Threat: The Unique Dangers of Grieving in Recovery
Is Anxiety The Sixth Stage Of Grief?
One therapist provides compelling examples of the relationship between loss and anxiety. Is anxiety the sixth stage of grief? Therapist and author Claire Bidwell Smith thinks so, and she shares why in a recent column in the Washington Post. Bidwell Smith writes that a few years ago, she began seeing an increased number of patients… Continue reading Is Anxiety The Sixth Stage Of Grief?
Kicking Heroin Cold Turkey Changed My Life
Nobody ever tells you how it feels, especially for the first time. This was the most pain and anguish I had ever experienced in my life, and I had given it my best shot, but there was really no point in going on. There were three of us. Eric was dashing and handsome, with eyes… Continue reading Kicking Heroin Cold Turkey Changed My Life
Don't Blame Ariana Grande for Mac Miller's Death
The idea that someone holds another person’s very life in their hands and has the power to determine whether that person lives or dies is a painful and damaging misconception. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know very much about Mac Miller. I’ve never listened to his music or attended one of… Continue reading Don't Blame Ariana Grande for Mac Miller's Death
I'm Sorry Daddy, I Won't Be at Your Funeral
I used to think my relationship with my father was unique, different: complicated on its best day and toxic, disruptive, and unbearable on its worst. I know now it’s not unique. I have always known—well maybe not always, but for a very long time—that I would most likely not be attending my father’s funeral. I… Continue reading I'm Sorry Daddy, I Won't Be at Your Funeral
Dear Val Kilmer, Anthony Bourdain Did Love Us
Suicide is not about someone wanting to leave their family. It is about them being in so much pain they felt they could not stay. Trigger warning: The following story discusses a the completed suicide of a celebrity and links to potentially triggering articles. Proceed with caution. If you feel you are at risk and… Continue reading Dear Val Kilmer, Anthony Bourdain Did Love Us