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Resilient Brain Project

Breaking Down Barriers to Mental Health Through Accessible, Therapeutic Learning

  • Identity & Discrimination
  • Life Changes
  • Grief & Loss
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Grief & Loss

“Grief is the psychological-emotional experience following a loss of any kind (relationship, status, job, house, game, income, etc).”
Psychology Today

Actions For Now

Steps (& Apps) to Reduce Symptoms
  • “Grief Deck”: Interactive digital deck of cards with tools for grief, accompanied by comforting artwork.
  • “Tips for Coping with the Stages of Grief”: An article that discusses the different emotions people tend to feel while grieving, with case studies
  • “Activities”: Drawing and writing exercises for children experiencing grief
  • “Coping with Grief”: A brief (under 5 minutes) audio meditation
  • “5 Tips for Dealing with Grief Over Christmas”: Handling a tough transition during holiday season. Targeted towards adults (for children, see resource #10).
  • Emotion Explorer: Get to the bottom of how you’re feeling, how it’s affecting you, and what you can do to soothe yourself with this interactive website
  • Grief Support Network: Join a social network for those grieving a loss
  • “A Meditation on Grief”: A more lengthy audio meditation taken from The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace
  • NPR, grief related podcasts: Listen to the latest news and stories on grief and loss
  • Healing After Loss: A non-audio meditation for remembering a loved one
  • Cause of Death-Specific Resources Organized by the Wendt Center: Find resources created specifically for those coping with losses due to cancer, suicide, military service, and more.
  • Resources for suicide loss survivors: Collected books recommendations, fact sheets, and personal stories for those who’ve lost loved ones to suicide.
  • Memorial Sites: It can be healing to memorialize loved ones. These websites allow you to do so online through photos, videos, virtual candle galleries, tributes, and more.
Loss of a Child/Pregnancy
  • “What To Do After A Child Has Died”: Actions to take following a tragedy
  • Helping Parents Heal: Resources for bereaved families
Loss of a Parent
  • “8 Tips for Coping with the Death of a Parent”: Suggestions for those experiencing parental loss
Loss of a Spouse/Partner
  • “A To-Do List for the Surviving Spouse”: What to (and not to) do while grieving the loss of a partner
  • Surviving Spouse Financial Checklist: Manage financial obligations with this PDF
  • “Death of Spouse,” OPM: How to change your annuity benefits after the death of a spouse, if you are retired under CSRS or FERS
  • “How to Cope with Losing a Spouse: Advice From Those Who Have Been There”: Recommended next steps from others who have lost a partner

For Allies

Give the Best Support Possible
  • “What You Can Do for a Person Who is Bereaved”: This webpage offers advice on how to assist loved ones who are grieving
  • “How to Help a Grieving Friend: 11 Things To Do When You’re Not Sure What To Do”: How to support a friend while holding the knowledge that you can’t fix the unfixable
  • “How to Talk to a Parent Who is In Grief”: The author, who lost her own daughter, offers advice on supporting other parents who’ve lost a child
  • “How to Help Your Spouse Grieve the Loss of a Parent”: An article on providing support for your bereaved partner

You’re Not Alone

Connect with Others, Hear their Stories & Access Playlists
  • Online Grief Support: A forum for individuals to share their experiences of loss and their successful coping strategies. It covers everything from the death of a family member or friend to the death of a pet.
  • Check In With Me: Having a rough day and looking for support? This community from The Mighty has you covered.
  • Grief Support Network: A social network for those grieving a loss
  • “Pet Loss: When Nothing Eases the Pain”: Personal reflections on losing a pet, including thoughts about bringing a new pet into your home
Loss of Child/Pregnancy
  • Faces of Hope: An online support community for those coping with miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss
  • “Comparing Grief”: In this post, a mother who lost her son discusses how difficult it can be to listen to others complain about everyday losses
  • “Reflections from a Father About a Lost Son”: A father shares how the loss of son has affected his life and how his religious beliefs have provided him with support
Loss of Parent
  • “Losing a Parent in Your 20’s”: 1 year after the death of her father, this blogger reflects on her experience
  • “Losing My Mother: I Was Supposed to Be Ready”: One woman discusses the expectation that adults will be prepared for their parents’ deaths—and how this doesn’t always reflect reality
  • “The Truth About Parenting When You’ve Lost a Parent of Your Own”: This blogger reflects on how her father’s death altered her perspective as a parent
Loss of Spouse/Partner
  • Sisterhood of Widows: An online community for widows
  • “After Losing a Spouse, Finding a Different Kind of Happiness”: This NPR podcast looks at the story of K.T. Nicolaides, whose husband passed away two days before their fifth wedding anniversary
  • “Getting On With Life After a Partner Dies”: This NYT article, by widower Jane Brody, reflects on the emotional experience of losing a spouse
  • “Doing Well At Not Doing Well”: A father reflects on how he and his son continue daily activities despite continuing to grieve the passing of his wife
  • “Tell Two Jokes and Call Me In the Morning”: A woman reflects on how humor helped her while she was grieving the loss of her husband
  • “How to Cope with Losing a Spouse: Advice From Those Who Have Been There”: Recommended next steps from others who have lost a partner
  • Soaring Spirits: An inclusive community for connecting with other widowed individuals
Tune In

Check out our Spotify playlist for Grief & Loss here

  • “The Show Must Go On,” Queen
  • “You’ll Be in My Heart,” Phil Collins
  • “Casimir Pulaski Day,” Sufjan Stevens
  • “See You Again,” Charlie Puth & Whiz Khalifa
  • “Forever Young,” Bob Dylan
  • “Live Forever,” Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
  • “I Remember Her,” Ingrid Michaelson, Lucius
  • “Left Behind,” Spring Awakening
  • “One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men
  • “Requiem,” Dear Evan Hansen
  • “In My Life,” The Beatles
  • “Dance With My Father,” Luther Vandross
  • “Always On My Mind,” Willie Nelson
  • “I Will Remember You,” Sarah McLachlan
  • “Ronan,” Taylor Swift
  • “Only One,” Kanye West
  • “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” Judy Garland
  • “Let it Be,” The Beatles
  • “Landslide,” Fleetwood Mac
  • “Tears in Heaven,” Eric Clapton
  • “For Good,” Wicked
  • “ghostin,” Ariana Grande
  • “Fire and Rain,” James Taylor
  • “Soon You’ll Get Better,” Taylor Swift ft. The Dixie Chicks
  • “I’ll Be Missing You,” Faith Evans & Puff Daddy
  • “Those You’ve Known,” Spring Awakening
  • “Seasons of Love,” Rent

Master The Subject

Learn How it Works & The Science Behind It
  • American Psychological Association, “Grief”: This webpage offers a thorough definition of what it means to grieve, and tips for moving forward from a loss
  • Open to Hope: This website offers articles, videos, and podcasts on the loss of friends and/or family members
  • “Grief Facts”: Statistics and education about grief, covering topics including infant death, men and grief, suicide, and child grief, among others
  • Sesame Street, “Grief”: Videos and other resources from Sesame Street covering grief and loss
  • TEDx Talk, “How to Live a Full Life After Grief”: This Tedx Talk discusses gratitude as a foundation for healing
  • Mayo Clinic, “Coping with Reminders After Loss”: Advice on dealing with reminders of grief, even if significant time has passed since the initial loss
  • “What are the Most Common Symptoms of Grief?”: A brief video surveying frequent reactions to loss
  • “Bereavement in Adult Life”: This article examines adult responses to grief
  • “Grieving in the Modern World”: Elizabeth Tschoegl, LICSW, MSc discusses some of the modern-day challenges to coping with loss
  • “When Sobriety Meets Grief (and Grief Meets Sobriety)”: A discussion of how the two issues of substance use and grief often interact, and advice for how to cope with both
Loss of Child/Pregnancy
  • Helping Parents Heal: Resources for bereaved families
  • “After a Miscarriage: Surviving Emotionally”: This article reflects on how individuals can cope with and move forward from the loss of a child during pregnancy, birth, and/or infancy’
Loss of Parent
  • “Death of Parents and Adult Psychological and Physical Wellbeing”: A study that observes the effects of parental loss on adult health
  • “When A Parent Dies”: This article looks at the impact of parental death
Loss of Spouse/Partner
  • “When a Spouse Dies, Resilience Can Be Uneven”: This New York Times article looks at the importance of resilience in moving forward from the death of a spouse or partner
  • “Intimate Survival: When the Veteran You love Commits Suicide Anyway”: Marilyn, the widow of a veteran who died as a result of his PTSD, discusses her journey and personal steps towards healing.

Advocate

Connect to the Larger Movement
  • Center for Complicated Grief: An organization dedicated to improving the lives of complicated grief sufferers via innovative research and outreach
  • The National Center for Grieving Children and Families: Designed as a safe place for people of all ages to share their stories and find grief resources
Loss of Child/Pregnancy
  • Compassionate Friends: Support for those grieving the death of a child
  • Faces of Hope: An online support community for those coping with miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss
Loss of Spouse/Partner
  • Soaring Spirits: An inclusive community for connecting with other widowed individuals
  • National Widowers Association: Resources for grieving men
  • Sisterhood of Widows: An online community for widows

The human brain is both brilliant and resilient. Not only does it control the way we think, feel, and react to daily life, but it is also capable of undergoing major change. By working with the brain, we can change our experience to improve our personal, professional, and relational lives. Our goal is to empower you to do exactly that.

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For more support in the Maryland, Virginia, or Washington DC area, click here for Viva.

The Resilient Brain Project (RBP) was developed in Fall 2017 by Viva Partnership LLC, with the goal of making mental health resources more accessible to the public.
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