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Archived Health Topics » Grief at the Holidays

Coping with Grief at the Holidays

The holidays can be a joyous time of family gatherings and celebration. But for those who are grieving a recent loss, divorce, infertility or are battling depression, the holidays can be anything but joyful.

Books on Coping During the Holidays

Healing Your Holiday Grief: 100 Practical Ideas for Blending Mourning and Celebration during the Holiday Season
Alan D. Wolfelt (2005)
Helps those in mourning through what can be the hardest time of year.

New Traditions: Redefining Celebrations for Today's Family
Susan Abel Lieberman (1991)
Shows how families can invent or adopt new traditions.

Unplug the Christmas Machine: A Complete Guide to Putting Love and Joy Back into the Season
Jo Robinson & Jean C. Staeheli (1991)
Offers advice on how to make holiday celebrations more spiritual and less materialistic.

NC Services & Support

Depression (NC Health Info)

Divorce (NC Health Info)

Stress (NC Health Info)

Selected Links: Coping

Holiday Stress/Depression
Dealing with Holiday Stress (EKU Student Counseling Center)

Holiday Blues (Alliance for Children and Families)

Loss
Coping with Grief During the Holidays (Hospice Foundation of America)

Coping with Depression and the Holidays (American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry)

After a Loss or a Tragedy: Coping with the Reminders (Mayo Clinic)

Divorce
10 Holiday Tips for Divorced Parents (DivorceNet)

Help Children Handle Holidays after Recent Divorc e (University of Texas at Austin)

Infertility
All I Want for Christmas: Coping with Infertility During the Holidays (Preconception.com)

Natural Disaster
Coping with the Holidays after Hurricane Katrina (National Organization for Victim Assistance)

Helping Hurricane Victims Cope with Holiday Stress (Federal Emergency Management Agency)

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