"The attempt to escape from pain is what creates more pain."
Gabor Maté
DBT is typically intended to help with intense emotions and those struggling with emotional regulation so, whilst it wasn't specifically designed for pet bereavement, it is obviously incredibly relevant and appropriate to use the skills taught in it, as a tool for coping with your loss and grief. Here are the five DBT skills that I find most useful for my own experiences of pet bereavement...'
The Website: https://www.sophiebolamcbt.co.uk/
Contact Sophie: https://www.sophiebolamcbt.co.uk/contact
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiebolamcbt/
Facebook: Sophie Bolam CBT
Grief is something almost all of us will experience, yet no two people experience it in quite the same way. We expect sadness after losing someone we love, but many people are caught off guard by everything else that can come with it. Anxiety, guilt, exhaustion, numbness, poor concentration, irritability, or the feeling of being constantly on edge can leave us wondering whether what we’re experiencing is still “just grief”.
“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”
Anais Nin
I’m overjoyed to finally be able to share this post (and video on the Gracie's Way Instagram: @GraciesWayUK) with you all of my newest, personalised Papier notebook (you can purchase the exact same on: https://www.papier.com/enchanted-56264). Notebooks have always been important to me, but I think they’re even more useful since creating Gracie’s Way because I’m currently creating content for both the project’s website and Instagram as well as for my own social media and my mental health blog. And I fully believe that organisation is key to minimising any experience of stress or confusion or just having the thought that you’ve taken on too much at once. So, to publicise the amazing quality Papier products, I thought I’d put together this article on ways to use a notebook alongside every single resource (for both bereaved owners and professionals), just click on the subheading to read more and find out how to order your free PDF copy…
I did not expect to feel
physically ill after losing my dog.
When I lost Buster in 2020, I
knew it would be hard and I knew I would be devastated. What I wasn’t prepared
for was how it affected my body. I couldn’t eat properly. I couldn’t sleep or
think straight or hold a conversation without my mind drifting back to him.
Getting through a normal day felt like wading through something thick and
heavy. I remember lying on the sofa feeling like I couldn't breathe properly. I
wasn’t functioning so for a while I stopped trying to pretend I was.
I’m sharing this because I think it matters for other professionals to understand that pet loss grief is not just emotional, it is physical. The body goes into a kind of shock and until you address that first, very little else helps.
“Volunteers
don’t get paid, not becaus
e they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless.”
Sherry
Anderson
A short while ago, I (Aimee, Project Lead) published two Volunteer vacancies on Reach Volunteering (Gracie's Way | Reach Volunteering) and shared information about them on Instagram (@GraciesWayUK). In all honesty, there hasn’t been as much interest as I had hoped for, so, my communications and marketing brain has been trying to figure out why. I can only think of two possible reasons: the first being that the roles just aren’t publicised widely enough and the project hasn’t been heard of enough (which I’ve tried to change via my BBC radio appearance – which you can listen to: youtube.com/@aimes_wilson/videos), and the second reason is that perhaps I haven’t provided enough information about the positions. With the BBC appearance done, I’ve chosen to conquer the second reason with this content which will not only include more details on each of the roles – which has become even more vital as we’re now recruiting five roles – but also, reasons why Volunteers are so important, what you can gain by volunteering, and advice on applying. So, read on to feel more encouraged and informed in deciding to apply to join the Gracie’s Way team…
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“Reflection turns routine into learning and tasks into practice for a better tomorrow.”
Omar Bennett
Having discovered a love for reviews via my mental health blog (www.imnotdisordered.co.uk) and from creating yearly re-caps on social media, when I realised that June/July brought the opportunity to do a bit of a mid-year review for Gracie’s Way and its first six months, I didn’t have to think twice on deciding to create an article for it! I had a lot of fun putting this together and in looking back over these first six months of Gracie’s Way, and the lessons I’ve learned and the realisations I’ve had from doing this Review, I’d like to say the biggest thank you to all the readers and followers and literally just anyone who has mentioned the project to others! It wouldn’t be the amazing position it is now if it weren’t for you, so thank you and I hope you’ll continue to support and interact with the project. Now, let’s kick things off with a look at all the first decisions related to the creation of Gracie’s Way…
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