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How has this loss affected my family and me?
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Grieving before the loss
  • Grieving before the loss
    • Introduction
  • Chapter 1: What am I feeling?
    • Introduction
    • Common reactions
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 2: What can I do?
    • Introduction
    • Taking care of financial and practical matters
    • Making the most of the time remaining
    • Supporting children
    • Families in conflict
    • Celebrating life
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 3: I need some help
    • Introduction
    • Asking for help from friends and family
    • Asking for help from a professional
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 4: Conversations at the end of life
    • Introduction
    • Unfinished business
    • Videos about how talking can help
    • Talking with the dying person
    • When the person is asleep or unconscious
    • Keeping secrets about death
    • Talking to the dying person with delirium
    • Your final talk
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 5: The moment of death
    • Introduction
    • Being present at the moment of death
    • Shock
    • Religious and cultural traditions
    • Key ideas
    • Section summary
  • Mygrief.ca Module Survey
Understanding grief
  • Understanding grief
    • Introduction
  • Chapter 1: How you are grieving is important
    • Introduction
    • Am I reacting normally?
    • Common questions, thoughts and feelings
    • When will I feel normal again?
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 2: What does grief look and feel like?
    • Introduction
    • How grief affects your emotions
    • How grief affects your thoughts
    • How grief affects your behaviour
    • How grief affects your body
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 3: Common experiences
    • Introduction
    • When family and friends stop talking about the person who died
    • Small things trigger grief
    • Spiritual and religious questions
    • Will life be meaningful again?
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 4: Why am I feeling this way?
    • Introduction
    • What was your relationship like?
    • How did the person die?
    • Culture and grieving
    • Videos about culture and grieving
    • Gender and grieving
    • Other losses
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 5: Is there a right way to grieve?
    • Introduction
    • 10 myths about grieving
    • Key ideas
    • Section summary
  • MyGrief.ca Module Survey
How has this loss affected my family and me?
  • How has this loss affected my family and me?
    • Introduction
  • Chapter 1: What did this relationship mean to me?
    • Introduction
    • How has this relationship affected me?
    • This was a long relationship
    • This was a short relationship
    • This was a less common but close relationship
    • This relationship was not recognized by others
    • This relationship was complicated
    • Working on a difficult relationship after death
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 2: When someone in your family dies
    • When someone in your family dies
    • Losing a spouse or partner
    • Losing a child or grandchild
    • Losing a parent
    • Losing a sibling
    • Losing a grandparent
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 3: How has this loss affected my family?
    • How has this loss affected my family?
    • Talking with my family about this loss
    • Why does each member of my family react so differently?
    • Taking over responsibilities
    • Key ideas
    • Section Summary
  • MyGrief.ca Module Survey
Moving through grief
  • Moving through grief
    • Introduction
  • Chapter 1: How can I move through this loss?
    • How can I move through this loss?
    • Accepting the death
    • What have I lost?
    • Who am I now?
    • Facing grief
    • Happiness and guilt
    • Where did everyone go?
    • How do I recognize and respect my limits?
    • When the relationship was difficult
    • What can I do with all of the stuff?
    • Griefbursts
    • Keeping the person in your life
    • Remembering and honouring
    • Rethinking your personal story
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 2: Stuck in grief
    • Stuck in grief
    • Thoughts that keep you stuck
    • Actions that keep you stuck
    • Key ideas
    • Section summary
  • MyGrief.ca Module Survey
Making sense of intense emotions
  • Making sense of intense emotions
    • Introduction
  • Chapter 1: Coping with your anger
    • Introduction
    • What is anger?
    • Understanding your anger
    • Stories about coping with anger
    • Key Ideas
  • Chapter 2: Coping with your guilt
    • Introduction
    • Why do I feel so guilty?
    • How reasonable is your guilt?
    • Stories about coping with guilt
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 3: Coping with your fear
    • Introduction
    • What is fear?
    • Understanding your fear
    • Stories about coping with fear
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 4: Coping with your sadness
    • Introduction
    • What is sadness?
    • Understanding your sadness
    • Stories about coping with sadness
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 5: Coping with your loneliness
    • Introduction
    • What is loneliness?
    • Understanding your loneliness
    • Stories about coping with loneliness
    • Key ideas
    • Section summary
  • MyGrief.ca Module Survey
Managing difficult situations
  • Managing difficult situations
    • Introduction
  • Chapter 1: Triggers of grief
    • Introduction
    • Family reminders of the person who died
    • Special events and days
    • Places and activities
    • Special objects and scents
    • Coincidences
    • Managing triggers of grief
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 2: Common situations
    • Introduction
    • Clumsy condolences
    • Managing unhelpful advice
    • Re-engaging with difficult family members
    • Sorting through belongings
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 3: Living without my spouse or partner
    • Introduction
    • Going out alone
    • Parenting alone
    • Guilt and single parenting
    • Making decisions on my own
    • Key ideas
    • Section summary
  • MyGrief.ca Module Survey
Caring for yourself
  • Chapter 1: Caring for yourself
    • Introduction
    • How can I be kinder to myself?
    • Why is it so hard to be kind to myself?
    • How can I find support?
    • How do I take care of myself?
    • Section summary
  • MyGrief.ca Module Survey
Do I need more help and where do I find it?
  • Do I need more help and where do I find it?
    • Introduction
  • Chapter 1: When do I need help coping?
    • Introduction
    • What if life is not getting better?
    • Is it grief or depression?
    • Grief and depression are not the same thing
    • Thoughts of harming yourself
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 2: Where do I get help?
    • Introduction
    • Friends, family and spiritual community
    • Grief support groups
    • Counselling
    • Online support: two websites
    • Key ideas
    • Section summary
  • MyGrief.ca Module Survey
When life starts to get better
  • When life starts to get better
    • Introduction
  • Chapter 1: What does “feeling better” look and feel like?
    • Introduction
    • Signs of feeling better
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 2: How can I keep the person who died in my life?
    • Introduction
    • Remembering the person who has died
    • Life prayers
    • Key ideas
  • Chapter 3: How can I adjust to my new roles and responsibilities?
    • Introduction
  • Chapter 4: Am I ready to start a new relationship?
    • Introduction
    • A new relationship
    • New relationships can be complicated
    • Key ideas
    • Section summary
  • MyGrief.ca Module Survey
COVID-19 and grief
  • For people working in healthcare: Module 1 - COVID-19 and grief
    • Module introduction
  • Chapter 1: The impact of COVID-19
    • Introduction
    • For you
    • The healthcare system
  • Chapter 2: Stressors and challenges
    • Introduction
    • Stress or grief?
    • Personal values
    • Beware of burnout
    • Chronic Stress
  • Chapter 3: Grief and COVID-19
    • Introduction
    • What is work-related grief?
    • Unrecognized grief
    • Burden of knowledge
    • Cumulative grief
    • Traumatic grief
    • Attending to your grief
  • Chapter 4: Factors that impact grief
    • Introduction
    • Situations at work
    • Long term care and community care settings
    • Rural and remote communities
  • Chapter 5: Staying well during COVID-19
    • Introduction
    • Strategies at work
    • Caring for your grief
  • Module 1 Summary
    • In summary
  • Resources
    • Resources
  • MyGrief.ca Module Survey
How has this loss affected my family and me?

Chapter 1: What did this relationship mean to me?

Key ideas

  • Relationships are complex and the person who died might have been many things to you.

  • Your relationship with the person who died can influence how you grieve. For example, because a relationship was short does not mean grief is less intense. Nor is grief limited to close family. You may grieve the loss of a co-worker, boss, neighbour or teacher.

  • Difficult relationships often cause grief that is more challenging to work through.



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Next: Chapter 2: When someone in your family dies
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