How do you cope with the “at least you were young,” or “at least you weren’t married,” and the “you can find someone else” responses? There are a ton of not-so-comforting words people offer unmarried widowed hearts.

We’ll discuss how to address people in these frustrating yet heartbreaking situations. You’ll learn how to set boundaries as an unwed widow(er), where to find support, what to say, and how you can support yourself after loss.

Grieving hearts often express a fear of forgetting their person. Yet, sometimes going through pictures and recalling memories can be painful. What’s there to do? This session will discuss memories, ways to continue our love for them, and more.

How do I cope with going to someone’s wedding? What do I do when my person’s birthday arrives, or no one reaches out on our anniversary? There’s a long list of milestone dates and events we face. This session will focus on coping in these moments, if and how you can prep for them, and what you can do to gain peace of mind.

When your partner dies, it feels like a part of you died too. So much of the life you knew, the plans you had, and the present you two held together is gone. This may make the desire to get through the day harder. You might wonder what the “new you” will look like. While you don’t have to figure this out all at once or right now, we’ll discuss getting through life without the presence of your partner. The discussion will address personal value and self-esteem, building your purpose and identity, and regaining you alongside loss.

Dating again might seem unimaginable. How do I learn to love someone new when all I want is my person who died? I feel like I’m cheating on them.

And what should watch out for? I feel more vulnerable these days. Should we engage in a serious partnership again? How do you decide if you’re ready and when to disclose that you’re a widow? 

These are all typical questions to ask. It’s especially common when biology hits, and we consider sexual relationships. We’ll cover these taboo subjects too.

Grief isn’t always all sadness, although it can be. Loss can stir up emotions such as a deep longing to speak to your person, anger, guilt, and resentment. Painful encounters in grief may also include exchanging wedding plans for a funeral or not having a say over your late partner’s possessions. During this session, we’ll discuss the heavy parts many unmarried widow(er)s face.

You’re taught to leave your personal life at home when you enter work, but what do you do when your grief follows you everywhere? Should you tell your co-workers you’re struggling? How do you switch jobs when you’re facing grief, or return to work after having time off? 

Productivity also seems to decline when you’re grieving a significant other. This session will gently give you skills for battling grief at work so you can remain successful.

Your partner may not have died when you were on good terms or under the best circumstances. Even if you had a wonderful relationship, there might be pieces of your grief you haven’t felt safe mentioning to others. Perhaps your person died by suicide, a death from an overdose, or another stigmatized loss. Maybe you discovered secrets and harmful information after their death. While you won’t be expected to disclose any of this to the group, you will learn how to cope with it. We’ll discuss this experience impacts our journey through loss.

When your person dies, you not only lose them, but all who they were to you. Perhaps your soulmate was your confidant–the person you could tell everything to. Maybe it means you no longer have your travel buddy, business partner, best friend, and cuddle buddy. 

We’re going to chat about the secondary losses that comes with grief and what we can do to help soothe the suffering they cause.