Helpful Books About Grieving For Adults {Part Three}

Helpful Books About Grieving For Adults {Part Three}

There are so many books about grief that have helped me on my grief journey. This is part three of a series of books I’ve found helpful. I’m so thankful for the books about grief that my loved ones gave me after my husband’s death. The books I’ve listed are great ways to help support a grieving loved one.

Resilient Grieving

Written by Lucy Hone, who experienced the death of her daughter, this book acknowledges the painful journey grief forces us to take. She focuses on protective factors and resilient behaviors that help a person navigate grief in a healthy manner. Some of these include using your support system, having hope, facing problems head on, faith, gratitude, proper self-care, and having a “survivor’s mission.” She also emphasizes the importance of taking an active role in your grieving process.

Throughout the book, the author offers practical exercises that can be done to manage grief. She offers ways to manage the early days of grief, as well as long-term tips to continue moving forward. These include mindful breathing, tools for resilience, how to choose healing, how to promote positive emotions, unhelpful things people say, how to discuss death with children, focusing on strengths, self-care, and grieving rituals. She also explores the importance of reestablishing a routine.

My favorite quote in this book is “You have to choose healing in order to recover from grief.”

When Grief Comes Home

Written by Erin Nelson and Colleen Montague, this book explores how to navigate grief when it “comes to your home.” Not only does it focus on adult grief, it also explores what a child experiences during the grief process, and how to help. Throughout the book, the authors offer what they call “healing practices,” which are helpful tips to navigate the world of grief. These include journaling prompts, breath exercises, connecting with your child, expressive art activities, poetry, honoring your loved one, emotion awareness and regulation, holiday and anniversary rituals, secondary losses, using a feelings wheel, and other helpful healing practices.

The authors do a great job of exploring how children process grief differently during different times, and breaks down the grieving process into ages 0-12 and 13-19. She also gives practical tips for returning to work or school, including ways to support your child.

Another helpful portion of the book is the part about complex grief. This chapter explores how to cope when your loved one died by suicide or homicide, struggled with substance abuse, and disenfranchised grief. My favorite chapter is titled “Equipping Your Community to Support You.” The most helpful thing to me was the quote “Refrain from offering advice or suggestions unless they ask.”

For further help, check out my other posts on helpful books about grief.