I got my newsletter from the SOS of Dane County and there is an excellent article in by Dr. Robert Thompson with good suggestions for coping with our losses.

"Those among us who are asked to bear the unbearable, need to be reassured by those who have trod this path, that what we are feeling is normal and that we will "get better" but the words "I am over it" will never be on our lips."

He goes on to say "We talk about the mind, body and spirit as if they were three separate entities but nowhere is it more apparent that all of these elements are integrated into one than during that first year of grief. As we experience mental chaos, physical symptoms and often illness, as well as walk in a spiritual wasteland,, we need some tools to get us to the other side."

He offers practical suggestions that may help sustain us during the first year and perhaps beyond...like Execise...do something physical each day..walk run, clean the house because exercise stimulates endorphins.

He also says it's important to do something social each day..even if it's only talking on the phone (posting here would count...don't cha think? )
And don't isolate yourself...allow at least one other person to give you a shoulder to lean on.

And I especially liked this.....

We can run but we can't hide from our grief. It will find us and have its way with us. The sadness that crushes us is not optional; what we do with that sadness is up to us."