Coping with the loss of someone or something you love may be one of the hardest challenges that we can face. Grief is the emotional suffering we feel and is a natural response to loss.
Grieving is an individual process and is different for everyone. It often involves intense sadness, and sometimes feelings of shock, numbness or even denial and anger, and it can affect your physical and mental health. Grief can occur after a death, but also after divorce, illness or other significant loss.
There is no set pattern to grief. Human beings are naturally resilient, and most of us can endure loss and then continue on with our lives. But if you would like to explore grief, and its ups and downs, we have prepared this list to give you a starting point.
Beyond goodbye : 60 days of support through grief
By Zoe Clark-Coates
Leading grief expert Zoë Clark-Coates examines the different losses we may endure in our lives and provides support that helps you navigate your own path through loss. ‘Beyond Goodbye’ tackles topics that are rarely discussed but essential to address, and balances practical advice with personal stories and emotional support.
Grief on the run : how active grieving helped me cope with devastating loss
By Julie Zarifeh
Julie Zarifeh shares the tragic story of losing her 27-year-old son, Sam, in a white-water rafting accident just sixteen days after her 60-year-old husband, Paul, died of pancreatic cancer. Julie's account of learning to live with grief, plus her experience as a clinical psychologist, make this an inspirational and ultimately uplifting read. She describes how she dealt with these tragedies and how she embraced the notion of 'active grieving'.
The Grief Handbook : A guide through the worst days of your life
An eBook (Libby) by Bridget McNulty
There is no one-size-fits-all recovery process for bereavement. To be able to move through grief we need to understand our emotions, tune into our needs and know that what we are feeling is normal. ‘The Grief Handbook’ weaves the author’s personal experience with expert psychological insights and practical advice, to enable you to navigate your grief in your own way.
Resilient Grieving : How to Find Your Way Through Devastating Loss
By Lucy Hone
Dr Lucy Hone works in the field of resilience psychology, helping ordinary people exposed to real-life traumatic situations. When faced with her daughter's tragic death Lucy knew that she was fighting for the survival of her sanity and her family unit. In ‘Resilient Grieving’ Lucy shares her research so that others can work to regain some sense of control and take action in the face of helpless situations.
Words of Comfort : how to find hope
By Rebekah Ballagh
This book explores the experience of grieving and the emotions and thoughts that may surface. It offers strategies to help you navigate through your grief and looks at some of the things we can learn from the journey. Treat it as a companion in your grief, an empathetic safe space and a beacon of hope.
Coping With Grief
eAudiobook (Borrow Box) by Dianne McKissock
Also available in the 4th edition as an eBook on Borrow Box, or eBook on Libby.
This new edition of the bestselling classic offers sensitive and practical advice on how to deal with the grieving process, from coping with the funeral to managing anniversaries and special dates. Suitable for both the bereaved and their support team, it explains what to expect emotionally, psychologically, and practically from the first day through the first year and beyond.
Bearing the unbearable : love, loss, and the heartbreaking path of grief
By Joanne Cacciatore
Organised into fifty-two short chapters, ‘Bearing the Unbearable’ is a companion for life's most difficult times, revealing how grief can open our hearts to connection, compassion, and the very essence of our shared humanity. Through moving stories of her encounters with grief over decades of supporting individuals, families, and communities, Cacciatore opens a space to process, integrate, and deeply honour our grief.
And here are two books that might help you to talk about grief with children:
The Grief Wave
By Trace Moroney
‘The Grief Wave’ sensitively describes the experience of loss and grief and offers a range of well-researched techniques to help children develop valuable coping skills and helps to prepare them to navigate their way through future grief events. Notes to parents and caregivers at the back of the book provide helpful advice and information.
You will be Okay : find strength, stay hopeful and get to grips with grief
By Julie Stokes
This honest, comforting and strength-building guide is a toolbox for children navigating grief. You Will Be Okay teaches children that there are many things they can do to build strength and resilience in order move forward with life.