There's a kind of quicksand in pet-loss grief that’s all-consuming and hard to escape. Here's a simple, science-backed way to write your way out of it, by hand.
I lost my dog and was in a mess, I grieved myself until I fell ill.
I reached out and also took the advice of putting pen to paper. Each night I'd light a candle and wrote, addressing a letter to Humphrey. I wrote what I did that day, wrote that he wasn't there, wrote how it made me feel, I just wrote and cried.
The time a dedicated to this allowed me the time think, feel and process.
Thank you for sharing this Erika. The way you created that sacred space each night to write to Humphrey is so beautiful. Giving yourself permission to feel, remember, cry, and simply put the grief somewhere outside of yourself can be incredibly healing.
Writing doesn’t take the love or the loss away, but it can give grief somewhere to go. Thank you for reminding us of that.
We just lost our third pet in 11 months. For me, writing has been the best tool in my toolbox for dealing with these emotions. It helps me process....some people like to talk. For me writing it down is key. I find myself crying and grieving the loss, but also laughing at the memories I put down on the page.
Very helpful, thanks.
Thank you so much, Ea! I’m so glad you found it helpful. 💜
I lost my dog and was in a mess, I grieved myself until I fell ill.
I reached out and also took the advice of putting pen to paper. Each night I'd light a candle and wrote, addressing a letter to Humphrey. I wrote what I did that day, wrote that he wasn't there, wrote how it made me feel, I just wrote and cried.
The time a dedicated to this allowed me the time think, feel and process.
Writing truly does ease the pain
Thank you for sharing this Erika. The way you created that sacred space each night to write to Humphrey is so beautiful. Giving yourself permission to feel, remember, cry, and simply put the grief somewhere outside of yourself can be incredibly healing.
Writing doesn’t take the love or the loss away, but it can give grief somewhere to go. Thank you for reminding us of that.
We just lost our third pet in 11 months. For me, writing has been the best tool in my toolbox for dealing with these emotions. It helps me process....some people like to talk. For me writing it down is key. I find myself crying and grieving the loss, but also laughing at the memories I put down on the page.