There are some things I can share with you to help you know what to expect during this time of mourning.

It’s important to point out…

no one can compare your grief to another since no two losses are the same. 

You will experience grief in different ways at different times of the year. You may find your emotions are intense some times. You may find your focus has drifted from the loss other times. You may think you are going backwards in your grief. You may even think you are going crazy. This is all normal.

I’m sure you’d love the manual or the path to feel better as soon as possible. Honestly, the way to feel better is to live and experience the grief. To honor your truth, your loss, your pain. It’s the “moving through” you may have heard about.

Today, we start to look at one way to understand grief. William Worden created the Tasks of Mourning. There are just four tasks and there is so much flexibility to honor your own experiences. I’ve included a video and a handout for you.

In upcoming weeks, we’ll look at a few other ways to understand grief. Then YOU can determine what seems to match your views and reality.

You may even find that all the different approaches may make sense at different times throughout the next year which is why I find it important to share different perspectives with you.

Let’s go ahead and take a look at Worden’s Tasks of Mourning.

Print out the handout and watch the video.

Handout: Worden’s Task of Mourning

More information about the Tasks of Mourning and William Worden:

Here is a YouTube Video from 2013 with William Worden talking about the 4th edition of his book, Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy: William Worden: Four Tasks of Mourning

Here is the Amazon Link for William Worden’s book, Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy.

Here is a blog post I like that outlines the Tasks of Mourning nicely: What’s Your Grief – Worden’s Four Tasks of Mourning