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When My Whole Body Grieved
Grief over lost loved ones is physical and can hit hardest during the holidays. Having been through it multiple times, I’ve got science-backed advice to help you through.
I have a personal interest in grief, its causes, and its effects after losing a son to suicide 12 years ago, as well as losing both parents and my brother in close succession. I was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks after my son died. We recently experienced a house fire, and I found that the loss of the safety and comfort of our home was even more devastating than the loss of some of our possessions.
Fortunately, I have regained my health, and our house is being restored. As I reflected on my experiences over the past decade, I became interested in how our bodies respond to grief, how I worked through my grief, and how to help others when they suffer losses.
Yet the toughest time of the year is upon us.
The holiday season can gift us with the most painful reminders of loss and grief. The sight of the empty chair at the table. The smell of their favorite holiday food. The sound of the carol they loved to sing.
