Hey there- to those grieving, today is very much for you. For those who have lived and are living through the loss of someone so special. For those who know a loss so big that it’s shaken and re-arranged their whole world in more ways than one- we see you and we stand with you. 

But, today is also for those who haven’t walked the grief path just yet. It’s true when they say that you cannot understand grief until you’ve experienced it - and even then grief is as individual as a snowflake.. even for two people living the loss of the same loved one. However, grief should be everyone’s business. And you might ask, why is that? Well, grief is something we will all have to meet face-to-face some day. We may try to walk on by, but grief has to be felt and lived through. The more we tend to ignore it, the harder it can become to deal with when we have no choice but to face it. 

Grieving or not, we should all be ‘grief aware’. We must build compassionate communities which choose to understand and give space to those grieving.

Here’s five reasons why grief awareness matters: 

1. To tackle the taboo around talking about dying, death and bereavement

2. To allow for a wide-spread, better understanding of grief to facilitate compassionate communities

3. To better prepare people so that they may be able to cope easier when someone they love dies

4. To challenge societies misconceptions of grief and loss

5. To make individuals aware of grief support available

So what can you do this grief awareness day?

-Talk openly about death, dying and bereavement. Share your thoughts and feelings- open up those conversations. Talking about it, won’t make it happen. 

-Be a grief ally to someone who has lost a loved one. Meet them in the middle of their grief. Ask them what you can do for them. Or, just be a listening ear. Grief is isolating- make sure they know they are not alone. 

-Spread the word about bereavement support available, encourage your loved one to give it a go. 

-Volunteer with your local Cruse office. You can help to support bereaved children, young people or adults. To find out more about volunteering, check out the Cruse website here: https://www.cruse.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer/. 

 If you are a young person and feel you are in need of some extra support - please reach out to us: hopeagain@cruse.org.uk. 

 If you are an adult, you can make contact with your local Cruse office here: www.cruse.org.uk.

You can also call the freephone Cruse helpline on: 0808 808 1677 - the opening hours are: 

• Monday: 9.30am-5pm

• Tuesday: 9.30am-8pm

• Wednesday: 9.30am-8pm

• Thursday: 9.30am-8pm

• Friday: 9.30am-5pm

• Saturday and Sunday: 10am -2pm

 If you are over 18, you may prefer to use the CruseChat feature over on the website. CruseChat is free and it’s open Monday-Friday 9am-9pm, offering you the opportunity to chat with a bereavement counsellor. Find out more here: www.cruse.org.uk/crusechat. 

 Look after yourself for the week ahead and know your are never alone in your grief. There is always someone ready to listen.