Grieving someone, whether you knew them personally or not, can feel overwhelming. Your emotions often come in waves and may include sadness, shock, guilt and anger. If you have children, they might have questions that are not easy to answer. And if you are already dealing with anxiety, low mood or another mental health concern, you might find it particularly hard to cope.
During the national period of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II, for example, you might have experienced difficult emotions – from feeling upset about her death and disorientated about the future to remembering your own loved ones who have died and even contemplating your own mortality. As Jane Murray, Bereavement Support Service Coordinator at Marie Curie, notes, “Times of collective grief may naturally trigger emotions and memories around unresolved grief from losses in your own life”.
If you or someone you know needs support following the death of a public figure, we hope you find Good Thinking’s bereavement and wellbeing resources helpful. The most important thing to remember is that it’s OK to feel however you’re feeling – everyone reacts differently to loss and we should always respect this and show kindness to one another.
If you’ve been deeply affected by a recent loss and would like professional support, please visit our urgent support page where you’ll find details of 24/7 NHS helplines and other support organisations.
Good Thinking resources
- Apart of Me (a free app to support young people through loss)
- Faith-based bereavement resources
- How to cope with bereavement and grief (advice for adults)
- How to cope with the death of a loved one (advice for young people)
- How to support someone who has lost a loved one (advice for relatives and friends)
- How to provide culturally sensitive bereavement support (a guide for practitioners)
- Quick guides for supporting friends, family, colleagues, children and young people with their mental health
- Five ways to good mental wellbeing
Other resources
- Grief for Her Majesty The Queen (Cruse)
- Grieving for a public figure (Sue Ryder)
- How moments of national or collective grief can help us process personal loss (Marie Curie)
- Let’s talk about funerals (Cruse)
- How to talk to children about the death of the Queen (Winston’s Wish)
- How to talk to your young child about death, loss and grief (BBC)
- Support after sudden bereavement during the COVID-19 pandemic (Thrive LDN)
