I recently listened to the Waiting Room’s new podcast on Resilient grieving with Tilly Stevens, death doula in New Zealand. Resilient grieving involves building resilient skills and coping with loss.
There are certain times, even before diagnosis, people tend to know something’s not right and a diagnosis is to come. Being able to introduce people to concepts of bereavement is so helpful prior to involvement with healthcare systems and potential traumas. For example, increasing hope, supporting grief to flourish and being able to care for people at home for a time positively impacts bereavement.
Preparing for an expected death versus a sudden death is helpful for the bereavement process.
In grieving, there’s oscillation of being in the grief and other times in your day to day. They move beautifully side by side. Recognition of experiencing loss is the first step, whether big or small. Resilient grieving means recognizing that someone around you is consistently experiencing grief and recognizing what’s helping and what’s harming. Having a plan to ensure helping and being supported to know what’s harming.
Positive emotions have a role to play in resilient grieving, laughter is important. We can live in grief at the same time, and it’s not dishonoring to live and grieve. Supporting this for each other is helpful, removing the stigma and recognizing the supportive role of professionals is also key. In the face of a healthcare system breaking in New Zealand, an aging population and staff burnout, as a population we need to be pre-emptive.
Here’s the podcast for your listening pleasure:
https://waitingroomrev.podbean.com/e/s9-episode-102-tilly-stevens/?cmid=444ac68f-b10e-4743-ba68-e69d7f2e562f
Want to chat more about your own thoughts on resilient grieving? Reach out.
Meaghen