It's time to take a stand and acknowledge grief for what it truly is — a natural, normal, and healthy response to loss.
As the pandemic raged through our communities, hundreds of thousands of children and teens have had a parent die, and many more lost grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, other relatives, and family friends. We’re in an epidemic of grief, and never in our lifetimes has grief been so public in the media, yet so privately complex.
A common misconception about grief is that it’s an individual emotional experience with predictable stages and a defined timeline. Defining grief this way suggests that if your “symptoms” last too long, or are too intense, you may have a “mental disorder” needing treatment. And this is problematic.
Because the reality is that everyone responds to grief in a unique way and grief can last a lifetime…and that is completely normal.
Our new campaign, #UnderstandGrief, is a message of understanding and hope intended to help people who are grieving, and those who wish to support them. The goal is to raise awareness about grief as a natural, normal, and healthy response to loss.
What you can do
Join the movement to #UnderstandGrief. Go to dougy.org/UnderstandGrief to find out more, including 10 ways we can implement grief-informed knowledge, along with social media images you can download and share. Use #UnderstandGrief and tag us @thedougycenter.
If you are part of an organization and would like to join us as a partner for this campaign, please contact us here.
As we enter a “new normal,” many families are feeling alone and abandoned after someone in their lives has died, whether from COVID-19, or any other cause of death during these long months and years. Join us in showing them they’re not alone, not abandoned, that there are people who care, and there are resources and support to help.
