Resources for Widows: Recommendations from the WYG Community
/ General : Eleanor Haley
We often receive requests for resource recommendations. Sometimes people are looking for help in their local community, like a therapist or support group. Other times, they want something to supplement their coping, for example, a podcast, book, or online group.
We believe that coping with grief and life after a loss requires a person to utilize all the tools in their grief-coping toolbox. You don't just need mainstays like the hammer and wrench, but also the ratchet and all its little ratchet-attachment-thingys. Sorry, I bit off more than I could chew with that metaphor.
Getting back to the point, people often ask us for a wide range of grief resource recommendations. And we usually offer something that we think is good, with the knowledge that grief support isn't one-size-fits-all, and there are so many resources out there we haven't uncovered or experienced. So sometimes we turn to our best resource, people in the WYG communities, to ask for help.
Recently, we asked in our grief professional community and on Facebook, what are your favorite resources for widows? What would you recommend to a client or a friend? And we received over 100 recommendations. We've compiled many of these widow resource recommendations in the list below. If we missed any of your suggestions, or if you have a resource you'd like to add, we encourage you to share in the comments.
Resources for Widows:
These resource recommendations were submitted by people in our Facebook community and the WYG Grief Professional Community. Please note, WYG cannot vouch for each of these resources, but we encourage you to have a look around and see which, if any, seem right for you.
Organizations:
Services vary, but may offer some combination of support groups, resources, communities, courses, and other programming.
Death is Hilarious Grief Relief Foundation
Podcasts:
Terrible, Thanks for Asking Podcast
Resources for Widows on the Web:
Refuge in Grief Website and Facebook
Christina Rasmussen Website and Facebook
Tom Zumba Website and Facebook
Support And Resources for childless not by choice CNBC Facebook Community
When Someone You Love Dies,There Is No Such Thing as Moving On - Kelley Lynn - TED Talk
Loss and Found - Corrie Sirota - TED Talk
We don't "move on" from grief. We move forward with it - Nora McInerny - TED Talk
Books:
Please keep in mind, what works for one person, may not work for another. Because of this, we encourage you to read book descriptions and reviews for the books you're interested in.
It's Okay to Laugh: (Crying is Cool Too) by Norah McInerny
The Hot Young Widows Club: Lessons on Survival from the Front Lines of Grief by Norah McInerny
It's Ok That You're Not Ok: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand by Megan Devine
A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations for Working Through Grief by Martha W. Hickman
Black Widow: A Sad-Funny Journey Through Grief for People Who Normally Avoid Books with Words Like "Journey" in the Title by Leslie Gray Streeter
Confessions of a Mediocre Widow: Or, How I Lost My Husband and My Sanity by Catherine Tidd
Getting Grief Right: Finding Your Story of Love in the Sorrow of Loss by Patrick O'Malley and Tim Madigan
Grief's Country: A Memoir in Pieces by Gail Griffin
Permission to Mourn: A New Way to Do Grief by Tom Zumba
The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss by Mary-Frances O'Connor
Seven Choices: Finding Daylight After Loss Shatters Your World by Elizabeth Harper Neeld
Widow To Widow: Thoughtful, Practical Ideas For Rebuilding Your Life by Genevieve Davis Ginsburg
Happily Even After: A Guide to Getting Through (and Beyond) the Grief of Widowhood by Carole Brody Fleet
How to Go on Living When Someone You Love Dies by Therese Rando
A Friend in Grief: Simple Ways to Help by Ginny Callaway
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron
Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief by Claire Bidwell Smith
A Sacred Sorrow: Reaching Out to God in the Lost Language of Lament by Michael Card
Psalms of Lament by Ann Weems
Bittersweet by Susan Cain
A Comforted Heart: An oncology psychotherapist's perspective on finding meaning and hope during illness and loss by Kelly Grosklags
In Search of Silence by Poorna Bell
Share your recommended resources for widows in the comments section below!
We wrote a book!
After writing online articles for What’s Your Grief
for over a decade, we finally wrote a tangible,
real-life book!
What’s Your Grief? Lists to Help you Through Any Loss is for people experiencing any type of loss. This book discusses some of the most common grief experiences and breaks down psychological concepts to help you understand your thoughts and emotions. It also shares useful coping tools, and helps the reader reflect on their unique relationship with grief and loss.
You can find What’s Your Grief? Lists to Help you Through Any Loss wherever you buy books:
Jeann Fishback August 11, 2022 at 5:39 pm
For Book Resources pls add
Life After Loss by Bob Deits has 6 editions covering many types of loss
Joyce August 9, 2022 at 6:14 pm
SOLOS (Survivors of Loved Ones to Suicide) Facebook Group is another excellent resource specifically for suicide.
Falina August 9, 2022 at 3:46 pm
I’m looking for a group that address childless and widowed. This is an avenue that does not seem to have much coverage, but I believe is very much needed.
Sandra B August 9, 2022 at 3:30 pm
My name is Sandra Began, I am a writer, grief expert, life coach and suicide widow. I share my honest thoughts about my 10 year widow journey raising two boys at The Widow Project (URL removed per site guidelines)