Finding The Time: Special topics in Grief and Bereavement

Grief and Holidays

November 2023

Carson’s Village has aided thousands of families through immediate loss as well as providing continuing grief support, and along the way, we’ve seen a lack of educational resources regarding grief and loss. This is the third installment of Carson’s Village's ongoing education newsletter, "Finding the Time", which aims to inform the Carson’s Village audience of issues, advancements, and topics in the grief and bereavement field.

This edition, Grief and Holidays, focuses on education and resources to support yourself and others through the Holiday season. Even though the holidays are a special time, grief takes no time off. Having strategies to cope with the loss or anticipated loss of family members, elevated stress levels, and general sentimentality of the season can prepare you for what's to come.

Read below for some resources and insights into grief and the holidays.

Holidays and Grief by the Numbers

Holidays are often a welcome break from normal life. You get time off of work, you may get to see family members you don't often get to, or you might even have the time to take a trip. However, this break can also trigger feelings of grief and make it more difficult for you mentally.

One of the key factors for increased feelings of grief around the holidays is stress. A study by Healthline shows that the holiday season increases stress in 62% of survey participants and out of that number, 44% report feeling very stressed.

This heightened stress level can cause even well-adjusted bereaved people to have to "shift" their emotional responses due to the stressful environment.

Feelings of Stress Level during the Holidays

Workshop recap

This year we hosted our biggest ever Grief and the Holidays workshop on November 16th. One resource discussed was the "Grievers Holiday Bill of Rights", you can read it here.

Did you miss the workshop? Make sure to follow us on socials (links below) to stay up to date on all our program offerings.

Text Link

Navigating Grief During the Holiday Season: Finding Solace and Healing

The holiday season is often depicted as a time of joy, togetherness, and celebration. For many, it is a cherished period filled with warmth and laughter. However, for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one, the holidays can be an emotionally challenging and lonely time.

Further Grief Resources

This holiday season, look to Carson's Village Resource Library for all sorts of information to support yourself or others. See below for resources for different aspects of holiday grief:

Looking for more ways to give back this holiday season?

At Carson’s Village, we know that each person’s grief journey is unique and that different things help different people. That’s why we created our Peer to Peer (P2P) program, where you can regularly speak with someone in the community who has also experienced a similar loss.

Our peer supporters, or “Villagers”, as we call them, are volunteers who participate in 20 hours of training and monthly meetings through Carson’s Village so that they can be as supportive as possible to their peers. We match our Villagers and Peers with intention, hoping to help form relationships that will be as meaningful as possible.

We're recruiting for our 2024 cohort now, with training starting in January. Please, consider being a part of this rewarding program!

See more info and sign up here

Thanks for reading along with this installment of the Finding the Time newsletter series. Do you have a topic in the grief and bereavement field that you would be interested in learning more about? Contact us here

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Carson's Village

2904 Floyd Street

Dallas, TX 75204