Stressful experiences are a normal part of life, and the human stress response is a survival mechanism that primes us to respond to threats. Is all stress bad? And do we all respond in exactly the same way to stress? Good stress and bad stress Research shows that good stress…
This blog on the physical effects of stress, is the first in a series that will focus on stress and how to manage it. Stressful experiences are a normal part of life, and the human stress response is a survival mechanism that primes us to respond to threats. What can be…
This is the second of two blogs looking at the grief and loss associated with loss of health - this blog looks at ways of adapting to loss of health. My first blog is here. A serious health problem can disrupt all aspects of our lives, whether it’s a chronic…
This is the third in a series of blogs about loss, focussing on loss of health. When we talk about loss we often mean the death of someone that we love. But actually our lives are full of small and not so small losses and we can experience grief when…
This is a second blog looking at healing after a relationship ends. My first blog is here. When we talk about grief and loss we often mean the death of someone that we love. But actually our lives are full of small and not so small losses and we can…
This blog looks at the emotions we experience with the loss of a relationship. When we talk about loss we often mean the death of someone that we love. But actually our lives are full of small and not so small losses and we can experience grief when confronted with…
We are familiar with the public grief rituals such as funerals, cremations or memorial services, but smaller more personal grief rituals also have their important part to play in the healing process. The tradtional Irish wake The tradition of holding a wake is one of the most ancient of our…
This blog, in a series looking at different aspects of the grieving process, looks at grief and minding ourselves. There may be times, when we feel we have entered a state of freeze and stuckness. Carrying on with normal every day life feels pointless at times - so we might…
This blog looks at the importance of grief and support. My previous blog looked at our natural tendency when we are grieving, to withdraw, to protect ourselves. While this is absolutely understandable, it can mean that we miss out on the support that we really need at this time. Accessing…
My next few blogs on the topic of grief look at ways in which we can mind ourselves while we go through the deeply painful process of grieving. This first blog looks at support and grief. As human beings we need to have the face-to-face support of other people as…
My last blog looked at the five stages of grief suggested by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. David Kessler added a sixth stage - he looked at the importance of finding MEANING in grief. When Elizabeth Kubler-Ross moved to the US from her native Switzerland in 1958 she was shocked by the way…
Many people these days have heard of the five stages of grief and this blog looks at where they came from and how useful they can be as a roadmap for grief recovery. The five stages of grief were based on studies done by Swiss psychiatrist Elizabeth Kubler-Ross of the…