Grief During the Holiday Season

Tips, Tricks, and True Stories

The holiday season can be a uniquely difficult time for those grieving the loss of a loved one.

A 2021 survey of 2,000* U.S. adults indicated that 36 percent of respondents didn’t want to celebrate the holidays because of feelings of grief or loss. The reasons vary widely from person to person and among age groups. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy to navigate the holidays.

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization has suggested a list of websites, podcasts, and books that offer insight and experience to those who are grieving. They are also a great resource for those who wish to support a grieving friend or loved one.

This list is not exhaustive but is a nice place to start if you or someone you love needs a little extra support during the holiday season.

Websites:

The Dinner Party

Modern Loss – Candid conversation about <b>grief</b>. Beginners welcome.

Option B: Care for yourself & others during hardship

Home – Center for Loss & Life Transition

Podcasts:

◾ “Facing Our Grief,” “You Are Not Alone,” and “Sadness Isn’t An Enemy,” All There Is with Anderson Cooper, CNN Audio

◾ “Moving Forward” and “Heartache,” TED Radio Hour, NPR

◾ “When Surviving Is Enough,” A Slight Change of Plans, Pushkin Industries

◾  What’s Your Grief

◾  The Art of Dying Well

◾  GriefCast, Cariad Lloyd

◾  “Learning to Live After Loss,” Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Audio

◾  “The In-Between with Hadley Vlahos,” America Dissected, Crooked Media

◾ “How Talking About Grief Can Unite Us,” End Well Podcast

◾  “The Grieving Brain with Mary-Frances O’Conner,” Being Well Podcast

◾  “Episode 34 – The Hospice Doctor’s Widow & Courageous Conversations of Precious Time,” Dr. G at the Heart of Healthcare

◾  “Why Yvette Nicole Brown Decided Honesty Is Her Superpower,” Trials to Triumph, Ashley Blaine Featherson-Jenkins

◾  “Hui-wen Sato,” The Apologies Podcast

◾  The Adventures of Momento Mori, D.S. Moss

Books:

When Breath Becomes Air – Paul Kalanthi

The Year of Magical Thinking – Joan Didion

The Long Goodbye – Meghan O’Rourke

Being Mortal – Atul Gawande

Choose a Good Death After a Long Life – Samuel Harrington, M.D.

A Beginner’s Guide to the End – BJ Miller M.D. and Shoshana Berger

That Good Night – Sunita Puri

Death is But a Dream – Christopher Kerr

Half a Life – Jill Cement

Blue Nights – Joan Didion

Autobiography of a Face – Lucy Grealy

Truth and Beauty – Anne Patchett

The Glass Eye – Jeannie Vanasco

Final Gifts – Maggie Callahan

Tuesdays with Morrie – Mitch Albom

On Grief and Grieving – Elizabeth Kubler Ross

How To Go on Living When Someone You Love Dies – Therese A Rando

The Other Side of Sadness – George A. Bonanno

I Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye – Brooke Noel

Bearing the Unbearable – Joanne Cacciatore, PhD

All the Things We Don’t Talk About – Amy Feltman

The Art of Dying Well – Katy Butler

With the End in Mind – Kathryn Mannix

Living at the End of Life – Karen Whitley Bell, RN

Life After the Diagnosis – Steven Z. Pantilat, MD

Holiday Grief to Gratitude – Dora Carpenter

Hospice Doctor’s Widow – Jennifer A. O’Brien, MSOD

It’s OK that You’re Not OK – Megan Devine

The Grieving Brain – Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD

The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life’s Final Moments – Hadley Vlahos

Conscious Grieving and Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief, Claire Bidwell Smith – LCPC

*A Look at Grief 2021: Survey Results from Experience Camps and The Harris Poll

Hospice Care Plus is a non-profit organization supporting the quality of life of its communities through hospice, palliative, and bereavement care programs. The organization serves Estill, Jackson, Lee, Madison, Owsley, and Rockcastle counties and owns and operates the Compassionate Care Center in Richmond. Relying on contributions from individuals and groups, all care is provided regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. To learn more, donate, or explore career and volunteer opportunities, visit hospicecareplus.org or call 859-986-1500.