Coping with the loss of a loved one is perhaps the most difficult and devastating challenge any of us face in our lifetime.
The grief you feel hurts more than physical pain.
And yet, somehow, life is still going on around you.
Is it even possible to survive, let alone thrive, after such grief and loss?
In this book, Shawn Doyle shares his heart-wrenching personal story of bereavement to supply you with the tools, tips, and techniques for dealing with loss and grief on an hourly, daily, and weekly basis.
This is not a predictable five stages of grief book. As a corporate trainer, Shawn helps people work through processes everyday. He wrote this book to help
for all my friends seeing this and thinking “this doesn’t look like something sarah would read,” you’re right. my mom read it and then gave it to me. i don’t have any problems with anything he’s saying, i just think i don’t like his tone? i think his voice reads like a motivational speaker (and he is one) which is just not my thing. but generally the points he makes are sound and very common knowledge. try to be positive, handle the serious things fast, be nice to yourself, do what you gotta do.
A very enlightening book about how to navigate my way through the bereavement of my dad. My lovely uncle gave me the book and even bookmarked pages with some useful tools and techniques for me to deal with my loss and grief.
I liked the book. My first husband passed away in 1986. I was already very active in my church and had a wonderful support group there. I was still working so that took care of the daytime hours. We had a great group of friends that would call to ask me to go to dinner or other places and I would say that sounded good. The day would come to go and I would call to tell them I was “sick” and couldn’t go. I finally realized I was not going to get better and they would stop asking, so I finally started going when they called. It is never easy to be like a fifth wheel, but I finally accepted their love and friendship. I married again in 2003, my husband passed away in September, 2019. My first husband died suddenly from his second heart attack. My second husband died after being sick for about five years. As you mentioned in the book, people say things that are a little strange and it’s because they just don’t know what to say. My Pastor asked my a few days before my second husband passed away if I was prepared and I told him I was, but the day it happened would not be the right day. He looked at me and I knew he didn’t understand so I told him I had actually prayed for my sister to die when she was suffering so with cancer, but they called to say she had passed away it just wasn’t the best day. I have outlived both my husbands, both my siblings, all my grandparents and sometimes there is a loneliness that even my precious children can’t fill. But life is good because God is not through with this 85 year woman and he has something for me to do. I am writing this during the pandemic of 2020, so He kind of has me on hold except for praying and calling those I know to be lonely. It was a good book, but for some reason women can handle being alone better than men - it’s just the way it is.
for people who can relate, this might be a good resource, but let's face it, number one, this man is already a motivational speaker, he's an upbeat, no nonsense, positive and logical thinker. Number two, see number one as that pretty much covers all of why this approach worked for him. I, on the other hand was unable to relate and I tried, as my grief has been hanging around for four long years. I was unable to find any part of this approach, that would help a mother who lost her grown, independent, 33 year old daughter with 3 children of her own. I am that mother, she was\is my daughter. It was not for lack of trying. I had a positive, hopeful attitude going in, even after I realized nothing fit, I kept trudging on, hoping for just one resource, one iota of information, one counseling moment of "ahah! that's it, I found something" that might lead me in the right direction. It never really happened for me, and I so yearned for it; after all, it's been four years. I think Mr. Doyle had good intentions, I think he handled his loss exceptionally well, but I also think he would have regardless. It appears to be his logical, life-puzzle-solving nature to accomplish whatever goal he sets. Unfortunately, not all people are wired the same way. I am also a logical thinker, but all logic went out the window that day four plus years ago, and that wasn't even the first blow, it hurt the hardest, but I'd endured other of life's gut punches before that day, so it wasn't my first hit. Point being, thanks for your experience, but none of your well intentioned sharing, helped. Not one link, unconnected with your own personal experience.
I am embarrassed to say I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway many moons ago. I finally got a chance to read it and I am sorry that I did not read it long ago and get the review done.
This book is very well written and a pleasure to read. Mr. Doyle is very straight forward with his story and advice, this is not the normal "5 stages of grieving" people expect. He shares his pain and his advice as well as telling the reader how to react to people who are trying to help but actually are not helping.
I highly recommend this to anyone who is grieving a loss, or as a gift to pass to a friend that has suffered a loss. Good job Shawn Doyle...
I was gifted this book after my sister's death. It was interesting, not helping me so much as possibly helping me to understand how others grieve. I have read three books on the subject in the last few weeks and while I prefer the more scientific books I think this book is really valid and can help make sense of how everyone grieves differently and what is right for me may not be right for you. Worth reading.
The Sun Still Rises andreil fic placeholder: love it, I think it’s based a little bit on We’ll both be fine the fic where he has the kid but I really like it. I like the timelines a little different but I like Alex and Andrew‘s relationship.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I received this book free from a goodreads giveaway. It had some helpful information and positive messages to help someone suffering hopefully realize that things will get better. Everyone grieves differently and you don't have to follow the 'rules' society gives us.