All Blog Postings by Mary
Healthy Ways to Grieve
By Mary Francis · Originally published: September 2, 2022
Archive notice: This is a historical post from Mary’s years of blogging. Some older posts may mention products, courses or shop items that are no longer available, as Mary now focuses her time and energy on supporting widows inside her private Facebook community. The guidance and stories remain here as a free resource for widows.
For current ways to connect with Mary’s work, you can:
When you are grieving it’s easy to feel that nobody understands what you are going through. It’s important for you to seek healthy ways to grieve, ways that personally work for you.
The problem with suffering in silence is that you don’t have support when you need it most. Bottling up intense feelings often leads to deep resentment and stress, which can make you more vulnerable to illness.
Claim your right to grieve your way:
- Whatever your feelings are, they are legitimate and there is nothing wrong with you.
- Find people and groups who understand your grief.
- Be honest about how you feel. Don’t wear a mask saying “I’m okay” when you’re not.
- Mourning your loss is an essential part of healthy healing.
- Don’t compare your grief to others, because everyone’s relationship/marriage was different.
- Don’t be afraid to talk about their death and your feelings. Permit yourself to learn from your feelings, and don’t be surprised if surges of grief suddenly come out of nowhere.
- Seek out those people who encourage you to be yourself and acknowledge your feelings.
The private
, for ladies only, Facebook page called “The Sisterhood of Widows – Private Group for Widows” is an extraordinary place to share privately with other widows. The depth of sincerity of each of the widows in the group is overwhelming. Members see, up close, how each widow makes an honest and true effort to “walk her walk”. You have to request to join and the rules are strictly enforced, but this may be a good fit for you.
Mary Francis, The Sisterhood of Widows
