Explaining grief and loss to a child can be really tricky and often times confusing. You want to make sure you are being age appropriate, you want to say the right words, you don’t want to scare them. There is so much to think about!

What do you do when:

• You’re in the thick of grief and want to be surrounded by people who know what you’re going through, but can’t get out of bed?

• You’re finding music for a special occasion such as a funeral service but have no idea where to begin?

New Years can bring about a range of different emotions and families who have lost someone can feel really anxious in the lead up to the New Year. In my experience, there are generally two ways a bereaved family could feel.

When someone loses a child, absolutely nothing can help ease their pain and it can be really hard to know what to do as a support person. People generally lean towards buying flowers, which is a lovely gesture.

Launched in 2021, Wave of Light is a virtual event held across the world, that aims to raise awareness about pregnancy and infant loss and infertility. It helps bring people together, creating a village for bereaved families to receive support from and allows families to remember their babies, giving them an opportunity to speak their name and keep their memory alive.

Losing a child is a very lonely path to walk, no matter how much support you have around you. When you lose a child before 20 weeks, it can be especially complex, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, some families wait until 12 weeks to tell people, so when a loss occurs before this, chances are the support network is drastically reduced. Secondly, the lack of legal documentation that occurs after a loss prior to 20 weeks, can make families feel as though their loss was not recognised.

Bereaved Father’s Day is a day to honour the Dad’s who have lost a child. It is a day to remember his child and the role he continues to play in his child’s life. Whether his child is in his arms or in his heart, he will always be a Dad. This year Bereaved Father’s Day falls on Sunday August 29th.

This year, Red Nose Day falls on Friday 13th August. You’ve probably heard about Red Nose Day, after all it has been around for over 30 years! But do you know what it’s all about?

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present and engaged in the moment, learning how to become aware of your thoughts and feelings without distraction or judgement.

The Black Dog Institute defines self care as “the activities and practices that we deliberately choose to engage in on a regular basis to maintain and enhance our health and wellbeing.”

I really like this definition for a number of reasons. Let’s dig deeper and understand this a little more.

Losing a child can be a lonely time. It can be even more lonely when people don’t know how to react or talk to the parent that has lost their child. I get it. It can make you uncomfortable when you don’t know what to say or what they are going through. Death is a difficult subject. But I can guarantee you, it’s even more difficult to be the person dealing with the loss.

The beginning of May reminds us that Mothers Day is just around the corner. But for a lot of people, Mothers Day brings feelings of anxiety and sadness.

Mothers Day is a celebration of the bond between a woman and her child, recognition of the role a Mum plays in her child’s life. But for so many women, this day feels like a heavy weight, something that will bring us pain, but is unavoidable.

Support during times of grief and loss is so important. So I wanted to make this simple.

Below you can find the contact information for a range of support services within the bereavement community.