Entering her apartment, I heard the scariest sound of all: silence. A burly EMT broke it with “I’m sorry.” His slight partner gave the details. Mom was where they found her. There was no blood to suggest a hard fall. The other EMT surmised she had a he… Continue reading
For many, losing important daily rituals and a basic sense of control is a difficult reality to swallow. Some even grieve normalcy. Here’s what you can do to manage those feelings. Continue reading
Someone you love is grieving. They seem terribly sad, they cry a lot and after a few weeks you start to wonder whether they are “stuck” or may need professional help. Do they? Let’s look more closely at the difference between normal grief and complicat… Continue reading
(Editor’s note: The pet owners have asked to be identified by first name only.) At the pet loss support groups I conduct at the VCA Southpaws Veterinary Center in Fairfax, Va., I often hear from attendees that they encounter sentiments like this as the… Continue reading
When you were young, New Year’s resolutions may have been about dieting, finding a new job or traveling more. But now, as you deal with the vast emotional landscape faced by every aging boomer and Gen Xer, your challenges, worries and fears have change… Continue reading
(Editor’s note: This is the third story in a four-part weekly series on meditation, including its benefits for pain management, mental health and overall well-being. The first article in the series was Do You Meditate? Here’s Why You Might Want To; the… Continue reading
“Thank you for the intervention. Friends and family came to be with me. I agreed to be admitted to hospital. Am waiting for a bed. I had a horrible breakdown. I am sorry for worrying you.” This was my message posted on Facebook to friends on October 19… Continue reading
A recent conversation with a 67-year-old friend who found herself unexpectedly retired by a job elimination brought home a grief we often fail to acknowledge: the loss of our work friends. “I used to talk to these people several times a day,” my friend… Continue reading
When someone dies, courtesy dictates that we write our condolences. These letters can be some of the hardest thoughts we will put to paper, even for those of us who usually have a great facility for words. And sometimes, difficult circumstances surroun… Continue reading
When Carla Sofka’s mother died just before Thanksgiving 2017, Sofka didn’t immediately post the news on social media. She was busy planning the funeral, making travel arrangements and getting an obituary ready for the weekly newspaper in her mother’s c… Continue reading