by Harriet Hodgson

Doodling: A Unique Approach to Grief Healing and Hope by Harriet Hodgson

The Covid-19 pandemic created layers of grief for us all. We grieve for those who tested positive for the virus. We grieve for family members and friends who contracted it. We grieve for the thousands who died. We grieve for the disruptions to our lives—disruptions that may be permanent.

If you tested positive for the virus you were quarantined. This happened to me.

I live in a retirement community, 150 residents who are vulnerable. Administration asked us to stay in our apartments, not walk the halls, wear masks if we left our apartments, wash hands often, limit two to an elevator, and practice social distancing. Because I had been hospitalized for cellulitis, which can be fatal, I was quarantined for two weeks. After testing positive for Covid-19 I was quarantined for two more weeks. Thankfully, I never developed any symptoms. But a month’s quarantine was in addition to months of selfquarantine. As a freelancer for 43 years, I was used to working at home and being my own boss. This was normal for me. Some residents of the high-rise felt lonely and depressed.

“Staying in my apartment is driving me crazy,” a neighbor commented. She wondered if I was going crazy too. I told her I was writing like crazy. At the time, I was my disabled husband’s caregiver. He was dying

HEALTH ISSUE | APRIL 2021

and my stress level kept going up. To cope with stress, I started doodling. Not ordinary doodling, but art doodling. I ordered supplies online and researched this art form. The techniques—stippling, hatching, cross-hatching, dot outlining, etc.— were familiar to me because of my art training.

Staying home sparked my creativeness and I wrote fi ve children’s books, including Grief Doodling: Bringing Back Your Smiles. Doodling allowed me to release feelings, explore feelings, and see my sub-conscious in action. Best of all, doodling gave me breaks from grief. If doodling could help me, it could help others. As soon as I had this thought I started writing. The words came from the depths of my soul. I am a bereaved wife, mother, daughter, sister, daughter-in-law, cousin, and friend. Grief Doodling builds on my BS in Early Childhood Education, MA in Art Education, and 12 years of teaching experience. From the fi rst words to the last, Grief Doodling invites action. The topics range from the benefi ts of doodling, to why doodling is fun, to doodling tips, and responding to doodling prompts. The prompts come from research and life experience. Here are two sample prompts: • Just when you want to say your loved one’s name, friends don’t want to say it because they don’t want to make you sad. Of course, you will always remember your loved one’s name. Doodle their initials here. Say their name while you’re doodling. • Pretend you are walking along a healing path. You are making progress and slowly moving forward. Doodle your path here. What do you see along the way? What do you see in the end?

This is the fi rst book I’ve written and illustrated. With doodling there are no mistakes, so the drawings are casual. I wanted to illustrate, not intimidate. There is space for the reader/user to practice doodling techniques. I wrote the book for teens, but some experts think it is appropriate for all who grieve. From Sunni Brown, author of The Grief Revolution: “Harriet has happened on one of the least-known benefi ts of doodling—healing. This book opens yet another door—beyond insight, creativity, and solving—showcasing its greater ability to ease our passage from grief back to joy.” From Dr. Heidi Horsley, Executive Director of the Open to Hope Foundation: “Hodgson’s gentle, fact-based approach is evident in the doodling prompts. Blank pages encourage more doodling and selfunderstanding. This is a wonderful kids’ book—a creative outlet for children to process their grief.” My husband knew about the doodling book and was glad I wrote it. He was amazed at my productivity and often joked, “While you’re up, write me a book.” Several weeks after I fi nished Grief Doodling, he died. I am still doodling and enjoying the respites it provides. Doodling and drawing Japanese Enso circles are keeping me on the healing path.

Are you grieving now? Do you know someone who is grieving? If so, Grief Doodling is you and for them. This concise resource is easy to read (you can read it in 20 minutes) and, thanks to heavier paper, easy to use. Give yourself the gift of doodling and fi nd

hope again.

About the Author

Harriet Hodgson, BS, MA has been a freelancer for 43 years. She is the author of thousands of print and online articles and 42 books. Hodgson is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists, Alliance of Independent Authors, Minnesota Coalition for Grief Education and Support, Grief Coalition of Southeaster Minnesota, and Books Go //social.

She is Assistant Editor of the Open to Hope Foundation website, a contributing writer for the website, The Grief Toolbox website, and The Caregiver Space website.

Hodgson has appeared in more than 185 radio talk shows, including CBS Radio in New York City and CNN. She has also appeared on many BlogTalkRadio programs. A popular speaker, Hodgson has given presentations at public health, Alzheimer’s, caregiving, and bereavement conference. Because of the pandemic, she now gives workshops on Zoom.

Her book So, You’re Raising Your Grandkids! was the Grand Prize Winner in the Rave Reviews Book Club’s International Literary Contest. This book was also a Book Excellence Awards fi nalist and a New Apple Book Awards Offi cial Selection for excellence independent publishing.

The Grandma Force, another recent book by Hodgson, received a Silver Medal from the Living Now Awards, given to authors who are “changing the world one book at a time.”

Weeks before it was released, Grief Doodling received a First Place Award from the Firebird Book Awards.

Hodgson’s work is cited in Who’s Who of American Women, World Who’s Who of Women, Contemporary Writers and other directories. Please visit www.harriethodgson.com for more information about this busy wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, author, and speaker.