In grief we talk about being heartbroken, what I want to suggest is that our heart is NOT broken, it is still capable of loving again, it is still beating to keep us alive. Maybe what we should say is that we are heart – cracked!
I often think that the words we use, don’t help us through our bereavement. If we believe it is broken then, we automatically think that there is no hope. There is hope, we have read stories on the blog of people who have found a new way of being happy, or even falling in love …read more

We have a new reader to our community – Jan left a comment to the Widows Quest Grief Recipe, welcome Jan. Jan asks a great question about grief and maybe we can help her
“I lost my husband 3 years ago this month and this has been the most intensely emotional year…. I thought my life would get better, and it is the opposite. I feel a part of myself is moving on — but I am grieving this “moving on.” Please tell me if this is normal.”
First I am not sure there is anything normal about grief, or a normal …read more

This week I have felt so much stronger and I put it down to

Friendship. There is nothing like talking about how you feel to release the emotion and then rebuild that fragile strength.
Exercise. I have been to the gym for the last 6 days and even on days when I didn’t want to go, I went. The exercise helped my brain, helped produce those positive chemicals in my body.
Future. Changing my thinking from the past to the future. This is hard, really hard. However, once I think about how to create good for others, I feel better inside.
Laughing. I forced …read more

I was talking to mum last night and was amazed at the age of 77 she has just purchased her first treadmill! Since losing Dad, mum has tried to keep active, she says that walking and activity helps keep the depression and grief at bay.
I couldn’t agree more and have always encouraged her to get out into her garden, walk to the shop each day, anything that gets her out of the house and into the fresh air.
Exercise stimulates the brain, stimulates the right chemicals in the brain to fight off the depression. Now you may not be able to …read more

The best remedy for mental stress is exercise. Often though you don’t feel like going out or mixing with people. A trick that I found really useful is to either walk or run up your stairs – your very own gym!
When you feel low, then make sure you use the stairs as your exercise – the reason is that mental stress reduces with exercises. It also helps to exhaust your energy and I found that I slept better at night by just doing this exercise. I also put music on whilst I did it – it sounds strange but I honestly felt better afterwards.