All Blog Postings by Mary
How Do You Respond To Tragedies?
Archive notice: This is a historical post from Mary’s years of blogging. Some older posts may mention products, courses or shop items that are no longer available, as Mary now focuses her time and energy on supporting widows inside her private Facebook community. The guidance and stories remain here as a free resource for widows.
For current ways to connect with Mary’s work, you can:
- Read her book on Amazon .
- Request to join her private Facebook group for widows .
The first thing to know is that there is no right way to respond to a tragedy. The truth is we don’t get to practice our responses ahead of the tragedy and so we shouldn’t expect everyone to react the same way.
Some people need some “alone” time, while others cling to friends and family. Some don’t want to talk about it, while others want to express their feeling and recount every detail. We all have different defense mechanisms to cope with tragedy.
The second thing is that tragedies test our values and relationships like nothing else will. We try to take some measures so that their death doesn’t catch us completely off guard but we can never really prepare for the grief that overcomes us. Here are a few points to consider:
1. Don’t neglect your needs.
2. Don’t hide in your work or social life.
3. Understand that most people experience tragedies in their lives.
4. Find those that have travelled the same path and seek their advice.
5. Talk about what happened and how it has affected your life.
6. Accept that your life and future has been forever changed.
7. Don’t make any snap decisions based on your emotions.