New Year Grief Survival Guide  

I just lost my husband of 23 years...we became one.We just fitted together perfectly. I feel completely lost and alone. The pain of heartache is just so hard. Keeping yourself busy is just so exhausting because you don't have the energy or willpower. My heartfelt love to all of you who are going through the same pain as me...

My adored husband of 37 years passed away 2 months ago. The thought of this coming year without his presence fills me with dread, hopelessness and dispair. I hope to move though this traumatic stage and find acceptance so my love and gratitude is not constantly shadowed by extreme sadness.

I want to learn how to love myself as much as my husband loved me, and I him. I did get better at taking care of myself but it is as if I am taking care of a stranger.

I feel lost, shatterd Dreams and future plans that are all gone. Lost husband in march and my mother in law two week ago. my new goal is to EXPLORE kind and mindfull my feelings, my new life, my options, New activities, (new) places, friendships, memories and what fits me now, what i take with me and what worth to explore further. Take care everyone and thank you so much for your advice!

I want to dissolve judgement from others (or insensitive comments) b/c they hurt. I only lost my father in June and was asked what I was going to do on New Years. I just shunned the question. I don’t feel like I need to explain (or even want to). I want to honour my grief (sadness & pain). I hope in time this intensity will settle.

In addition to grief, my late husband & I married on New Year’s Eve so the sadness is compounded.

That is exactly how I feel,I do not want to be here,and start a new year without my loved one,I want peace in my heart in the new year, and to feel less fear of being alone.

I wish not to hurt anymore. I want to stop crying.😢

Everything you said is so very true. I have had so much loss in my life. I used to ask my husband to promise me I would be the one to go first as I couldn’t take more loss in my life. He would promise me anything but that he never did. When I lost him suddenly 18 months ago my world as I knew it was over. We were together 40+ years and imaging life without him was unbearable. We always said together would could overcome anything, so what now? I have been trying to figure out how to do this life without him. What I do know is that I can honour him by moving forward and being here for my boys. I’m starting to see a tiny glimmer of hope. His family meant everything to him he just wanted us to be happy and he worked so hard for us. I try to remember that when I’m feeling like I can’t do this without him.

i MOVED TO A NEW NEIGHBORHOOD, Its a help but i still sense something is missing, I wish to feel empowered and able to handle life w out him.

Grief has shaken my trust in the future and the present as well. I am constantly waiting for another death, another crisis,another event...etc. i no longer trust that everything will be okay...all i feel is that it could never be

I dont want people asking if I'm okay and to stop saying you will be okay I wont.9mths tomorrow since my husband passed and I have cried everyday Im so exhausted I dont want to be here without him we haven't been apart for 30yrs and Im struggling.

Happy New Year dear Jo ❤. I'm moving into the third year. My Baby boy died at just 14 😭😭😭. It feels worse as time goes on. I do a lot of research and have a fantastic counsellor. Still, to be without my son is excruciating. I am so grateful for you ❤. I *NEVER* miss an episode. I truly appreciate all your advice, comfort, understanding and time. INVALUABLE 🙏🏻❤️🙏🏻

Shower more often, get out of the house more, cry less, find a hobby is everything I have been thinking about as a resolution. Shower more often embarrasses me. I always took a shower everyday, but after my husband's passing I have slacked on taking care of myself and my health. I don't like being this way and I promise myself that I will take better care of myself this coming year. I know it is what my husband would want me to do. Stay strong and carry on.

This hit home so much. I have made no resolutions only a word for the year..in may case two words..slow and easy ❤

Agree with all.of it

I want contentment and freedom for anxiety and fear of the future. It's almost 3 years since I lost my wonderful wife . My grief seems to get deeper with time . I cry far more often and I feel a failure for not being able to deal with this . I so miss the unconditional love she gave me . The hugs and kisses that made all the bad stuff go away . I feel weaker and insecure now and often wish I wasn't here . Trying to appear normal to others is such a strain . I prefer to be on my own and not have to make the effort . Do these feelings ever end . How do you live without the one who made life worth while . Thank you for your advice and concern fir others . I wish you a healthy and content new year ... Thomas in the UK .

Day 50 since my husband’s passing. It’s more painful today than day five.

1/1/24. Thanks for addressing grieving at New Year’s holiday. I found a lot of what you said helpful. I want to stop feeling sad and afraid every day. I’m praying that my God will help me look to Him to guide, control, and provide for my new life without my husband. Your caring voice is soothing and helpful. I pray for everyone here commenting to find peace.

I lost my lifetime partner of 40 years to lung cancer on December 16th. It's been almost two weeks and I'm having a hard time. My pain is deep. My sister said to me "2024 will be a better year for you". I know she meant well, but it won't be. I'm going into 2024 without the love of my life by my side. I can not project into the future and how I will feel, however I will do my best to live life one day at a time and put one foot in front of the other. Right now I'm just trying to cope with today. I'm not dysfunctional, but my grief makes me hurt so deeply. Thank you for this video.

I lost my husband of 39 yrs just 5 weeks ago 💔 I am so lost and feel so alone although I have 3 wonderful children, my pain is immense.

My father passed on New Year’s Day and on his deathbed, he made his kids promise to take care of Mom. So I did. I watched over Mom as daughter, friend, and caregiver until she died this past September. I’m realizing none of my siblings had a relationship that was quite as close to my parents as mine. I sometimes feel alone. And this New Year’s will sort of bring “double-grief” for me. I hope to stop feeling alone. I wish I could replace aloneness with a feeling of my parents presence, but that sounds a little ridiculous, doesn’t it.

I want to feel in peace with my grief,

This is really good advice! I want to dissolve the fear of being away from home. Since my loss I haven't traveled and even daily activities are sometimes a challenge. I feel with my mother being dead a lot of my safety net is missing which makes me a lot less couragous and adventurous. I want this anxious feeling to stop and want to feel more secure in the world again

Thanks Jo. Never have made resolutions but the pain of "moving further away" is huge. My beautiful daughter took her life in August 2022 and 2024 sounds like such a huge gap. Thise signs live life love, I hate those trite consumer things and want to smash them all. I am doing ok a lot thanks to your channel which I have been following eversince and am so grateful to you. Thank you from new zealand.

Well said, thank you for the video. The advice is spot on.

So true. Sometimes the only thing that gets me thru is that with each day, I’m one day cower to being with them again. Thank you so much for your wisdom, kindness and compassion.

My Dan passed away in 2021. I am into the third year with him not being here. I want to feel contentment with a simple life. This will bring me peace. TY, Jo.

I lost the love of my life Dec 26th. My wife of 23 wounderful years was fighting stage 4 breast cancer. She fought so hard she also was fighting MS, Thyroid Disease. I fell guilty that I couldn't fix this. I feel that I failed her. I love her so very much.

I lost my husband of 40 years in February. I have no children and no family. I like many was not prepared for the depth of my grief. I am helped by your guidance. I struggle finding hope. 🙏🏼

I still have moments of wanting to join my parents. I feel like I'm doing life wrong. I have felt disconnected from everything. I don't want to dread the future. I have a hard time knowing what I want for myself.

Jo, I'm at a loss on how to move forward. I would like to think better days are ahead, but with my husband passing this year, and just yesterday I had to make the painful choice to lay my beloved 3 lb yorkie to rest....she was my baby, and I am simply devastated as my grief is now compounded. I can not see better days, only more sadness and heartbreak.

I wish to feel like I want to keep trying hard in life .. life without my son is so hard and trying hard is so hard … thank you Jo … sending kind heart back and forward to all ❤

Happy New Year, Jo! Personally I'm going to work on feeling more contentment in the new year. ❤

I’m an in awful grief that I was doing “better “with. He passed in October and I haven’t been good at all but I was getting better. And as soon as Christmas came around. I got hit with it like iy just happened. On top of it I had covid so I couldn’t be with anyone but my immediate family. Also in 2020 I lost my grandma at Christmas so it hasn’t been a fun holiday since then but this year is awful and you are right. Usually for New Years it’s a new start for me. Now it feels like. Starting the year without so significant to me. I have a therapist but I been really bad and I feel physically sick from grief and from covid. Your videos have helped me so much. THANK you ❤

You are spot on. I’ve felt exactly like every word. First time today I’ve considered leaving this world to join my young daughter who died March 28. 9 months yesterday. My husband sister and nephew a year before. 😂thanks for your wisdom

I wish to feel less guilt, I dont know how

Hi Megan I want to dissolve the false sense of religion and get to know who I am I want to liberate myself