This article is to serve as a resource for students, parents, teachers, administrators, first responders, and communities who witnessed or are directly affected by a school shooting. My hope is that I can shed light on the signs and symptoms that often follow crisis and how you or those you love can move toward healing and wholeness after tragic loss.
Benjamin Franklin once quipped that, “in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” While many Americans spend an entire season worrying about taxes, there are precious few days where we collectively reflect on death. In this post, I would like to begin by giving a very brief history of Memorial Day and then transition into a discussion on grief and the grieving process, of which, days of remembrance like today can play an important role for the bereaved.
Four therapists discuss what grief is and how it shows up at the holidays, sharing resources and tips for making it through.
When things don’t go as we expect or prefer, the experiences we have instead can be life-enriching. We can even have gratitude for those experiences. It’s all in how you look at it.