Am I Normal?

How to Manage Your Grief this Summer

​It’s that time of year again. The warmer weather is finally settling in and summer is right around the corner. Days are longer, the sun is brighter, and many people have a little pep in their step. It’s as if the world is coming back to life after a long winter hibernation. Such a wonderful and hopeful time of the year. Right?

Not for everyone.

For many people, any change of season can be excruciatingly painful. When they see all the happy, smiling faces chatting about how wonderful life is in the summer, they are reminded that their loved one won’t be able to share summer with them this year. All those families talking about their fun summer vacation plans makes them long for the days when their loved one would travel with them. Those smiling faces in social media selfies serve as reminders of the smiling face they lost. For someone grieving the loss of a loved one, the longer days, warmer temperatures and pressure to enjoy all the joys summer has to offer can add up to a cold, lonely, deep sadness.

Maybe you know these people. You probably do. Think about your friends, your family, your coworkers. How many of them lost someone within the past year? How many lost a very important person ever and might ache for them throughout any change of season?