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Writing to process grief
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about grief. Mainly because I work with students and I know the pandemic has hit the South West Florida community hard. Many students have lost loved ones and friends to COVID, and many others are now experience divorcing parents. Different kinds of grief, but grief just the same. Time will tell how well these youngsters cope and heal.
When I was helping to take care of my father when he had ALS, I was overwhelmed with what I referred to as anticipatory grief. When I got divorced I was definitely grieving. Even knowing I have a mutated gene linked to ALS and the doctor telling me, “All of your tests indicated abnormalities,” causes a weird kind of grief.
Like Kristen writes in her article, writing/journaling can be a healthy way to process emotions and respond in a healthy way. It helps many to get their feelings out even if it is just a form of venting.
https://alsnewstoday.com/columns/2020/09/10/journaling-perspective-coping-emotions/
My sister is constantly telling me to start a blog, but that’s just not appealing to me right now.
Do you journal? Do you write a blog? Do you write to your family in friends or use social media? Do you think that writing is a way that could help you deal with your feelings and fears?
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2 Replies
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I don’t blog or use Facebook updates. I do keep a book which I log updates of my health and progression. Not really for anyone but myself so I see when ALS stuff happened. I use the PLM log to update all my tests and vitals as well as enter on a word and excel doc that I can give my Drs. I do use the media platform of PLM to add a daily update of all my ALS stuff and general life. Since many other pALS do the same I experience their struggles and joys. Experience their coping with changing bodies and working with whole support system, Even experience some last weeks as they decide to end the struggle. There are always supporting pALS. I think all this helps me with demystifying the beast. Just us ordinary people experiencing it together. Helps me.
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Bill, what is PLM?
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