Tag: help

Helping Teens Deal with Grief

/ colleen arnold / Leave a comment

Today’s post is shared on the website Wisdom of the Wounded, and is about helping teens deal with grief. Even if you don’t know a teenager who is mourning a death, you probably know one who is mourning something else: a lost relationship, a divorce, even bad grades. I think you’ll find these tips useful no matter what the loss.

https://wisdomofthewounded.com/2018/09/05/how-to-help-your-teen-cope-with-grief/

There’s also a beautiful graphic you can print out or share:

https://wisdomofthewounded.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/WOTW_Teen_Grief_PDF.pdf

If you have any other suggestions, please let me know. And as always, thanks for reading!

colleen

When We Don’t Do the Good We Want

/ colleen arnold / 6 Comments

I carted my sweet dog, Buddy, to the veterinarian last week for a checkup. He hates the car, and usually whimpers before I even turn the key to start the engine, but that day he was oddly happy. He let the breeze blow across his face and sniffed happily at all the scents we passed. As soon as we got into the office, though, the whining started as if he had been saving it up. It got louder and louder until it became a long, drawn-out, pitiful howl. And it kept going, and going and going…

Other animals looked at him with alarm and concern. Other pet parents stepped back, envisioning with the scene they knew could materialize at any minute. He forcefully resisted the ten steps to the exam room with every bit of his 35 dense pounds. He refused to allow himself to be lifted onto the exam table, and he nipped at the vet’s hand as she reached out to pet him. By that point the howling had ceased and been replaced by the most threatening snarl a dachshund’s cute face could muster. Continue reading →

Living With The Dying

/ colleen arnold / 2 Comments

This week, my blog post can be found on the wonderful website, Wisdom of the Wounded at:
https://wisdomofthewounded.com/2018/04/26/living-with-the-dying/
In the article I share suggestions for journeying with someone who is terminally ill, learned not only through my experience as a physician, but also as a wife accompanying her dying husband. I hope you will check out my post and explore the site to find all the other great information available there. There are several excellent podcasts and suggestions inspired my suggestions, including a podcast by the founder’s husband about accompanying his best friend who is dying of lung cancer, and a side bar with straightforward tips about caring for a friend with cancer. Even if you can’t use this information right now, you probably know someone who can, so please share it with them!!

Being a Friend to the Terminally Ill