Don’t face Grief alone
by Natalie McCulloch
Losing someone can be one of the most painful times of your life and can impact on all aspects of your health and wellbeing. No one can take that pain away or tell you what grief will look like for you, or when it will ease, however what they can assure you of is that you do not have to face grief alone. Let CRUSE be there for you… ‘Cruse’, the UK’s leading Bereavement charity, has a vision of a world where everyone grieving is supported, respected and understood. Through information, campaigning and support, they make this vision achievable. Cruse offer a range of services to help people when they need it the most including an information packed website, FREE helpline, one to one counselling support and support via social media. These services aim to be inclusive to meet everyone’s needs, no matter what gender, age or stage of the grieving process someone is in. They even involve nature…. The link between mood, wellbeing and exercise is widely promoted, just getting out in the fresh air and surrounding yourself with nature can make a big difference. Walking with others can help you to form connections, walking side by side can also make difficult conversation feel easier than talking face to face. For this reason, the Connecting Communities Project have launched the ‘We walk together’ walking group in Cardiff for those experiencing bereavement. It’s generally a gentle walk around Roath Park followed by coffee and cake offering a chance to come along and talk to people in a similar position. The walk takes the form of informal talking, it’s not counselling, but the chance for people to find someone to talk to who understands where they are
coming from. Anyone can come and there is no need to register. If you have any queries just give Nigel Doré a call (07939 936112), he would be delighted to answer any questions you may have and guide you in the right direction. Nigel Doré is the community development officer for Cruse, and encourages people to get involved: “What would I say to people thinking of coming, just come along, find out what we are about and if it’s not for you we can talk to see what may suit you.” Over to you…. We will all be bereaved at some point in our lives, and 60% of us will turn to our friends, families, colleagues and communities for support. Cruse are passionate about enabling others to help themselves and their communities. They aim to broaden people’s understanding of loss and bereavement, develop knowledge on how to provide emotional and practical support for those grieving and increase skills to help
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