COJ Newsletters
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Practicing gratitude
by Baylie Barnhill Living with grief, we can often experience feelings of emptiness. One effective strategy to counter this is to practice gratitude. To cope with emptiness, it can be beneficial to acknowledge all of the love we hold in our hearts for our lives,...
Be gentle with yourself when under stress
Grief brings a lot of change with it. Change in routines, support, schedules, relationships - and much more. And for those of you who are connected to the school system, that brings even more change in September as we adapt to another school year! Unfortunately,...
Reading with your grieving child
How much time do you spend reading to your kids? Even if they can read themselves, this can be a sweet way to connect and bond. Children who are grieving are often going through a range of emotions, and it is helpful for us to find ways to connect with them in...
Taking small breaks to decompress
How often do you allow yourself to take breaks throughout the day? Many of us rush through our days without taking the time to slow down. Often, this has the impact of leaving us exhausted and frazzled by the end of the day. We feel rushed, anxious, and...
How photos can help your grieving child
Let's talk about handling photos, which can be a challenging topic. How have you managed the photos that you have of your child’s loved one who has passed away? Is it triggering for your child to see photos of this loved one, or does it inspire pleasant...
Planting seeds on your grief journey
Summer is a time when the world is full of lush plants, flowers, and lots of green wherever you look. But just a few months ago, the world looked a lot less green. Perhaps you started your garden, have been tending to it for several months, and are now beginning to...
Creating summer routines
It can feel jarring to go from the routines of the school year to the much less structured summertime, especially for a child who is grieving. So how can parents create routine for their kids to help with this during the summer months? One fun idea is to have a...
Let’s talk about sleep!
Let’s talk about sleep! As we all know, sleep is incredibly important to our well-being, but even in the best of times, it can be challenging for some of us to get enough sleep. And grief can sometimes make sleep even more challenging...but it also becomes even...
Planning for summer success
The end of the school year is approaching! This can be an exciting time for some who are anticipating the break, and a stressful time for others who are trying to figure out what to do with their children and themselves during that time. The summer break does...