Category: Grief

From quicksand to leaping a tall building in a single bound

There is no doubt that losing a child to suicide left me feeling stuck in a slower-moving dimension. As the world moved forward, I watched it whiz by as I helplessly sat on the sidelines with no motivation to keep up. Nothing mattered and everything was eclipsed by my loss which weighed heavy on my heart, my chest, my lungs, my limbs. At first, it possessed me, took me hostage and I fought hard to have some control over my emotions which were so raw and exposed.

Conversely, there were days when I would crave the need to lavish love … Read more...

Why I Wrote About Losing My Son

by Janice Hoffman

Brian with his sister Jenny in 2000 (photo by Zalewa Photography)

In 2011, my husband and I lost our thirty-five-year-old son Brian to suicide. People have asked me why I wrote my chapbook of poetry, Azaleas in October, about this loss. That’s a very easy question to answer: I wrote because I had to. Anyone who has lost a child understands all too well the devastation that consumes a parent afterwards. It’s so important to talk to others about that type of loss, but I simply couldn’t do it in those early days. I was too … Read more...

Over a million and a blog birthday

I hadn’t checked in a while. But this blog has reached over one million people since February 1, 2016. And I missed its birthday, too. It was 2016 during a run that I thought of the name Emotionally Naked, ran home, and started this blog.

I needed to write to manage the pain of my grief. I needed to talk and learn more about depression, addiction and suicide. What I found was hope and healing. Thanks to you all for that.

Dear Charles. My letter to heaven

… Read more...

The evolution of my heart

#griefheart heavy heart
Heavy Heart

When I first heard the news of my son’s suicide, the weight of it lay heavy on my chest, pressed me to the floor, and pinned me to my despair. As I moved through this journey called grief, I had days where it opened so wide with love and appreciation, I thought it might explode.

#griefheart
Heart full of love

There were many times when I felt as if I was a kite on a tight string in a high wind flapping furiously in circles–ready to snap any moment. Darkness would move in and rob my motivation, take my … Read more...

I wanted it to be more

When Charles took his life, my brain skipped ahead and over the news like a rock skimming a pond—like I hadn’t just been told the most devastating news of my life. My mind actually left my body for a bit as I watched myself in the back of that police car wondering, “Who is that woman in that police car who can’t breathe?” I can still see her, slunked in the corner in shock from above myself.

But just like that, I was back in that picture. “Oh no, how can I get out of this scene? This isn’t my … Read more...

Emotionally Naked Story Makes Women’s Day!

Tamara and Lloyd Braswell (now married) was a story here on this blog. And a writer for Women’s Day was doing a feature on great love stories for their February 2021 issue and they reached out and asked for Tamara and Lloyd’s contact info so they could be included in the issue. The Emotionally Naked blog was mentioned in the article.

See the original story at the link below. This is so exciting!

An Emotionally Naked Love Story
… Read more...

Twenty-minute podcast for parents who’ve just lost a child

Link to the podcast hosted by Laura Diehl from Grieving Parents Sharing Hope.

There is no training for being a bereaved parent. Those of us who have lost a child do understand, and we want to walk with you, especially through the darkest part of your grief.

In this podcast episode, there will be things shared that are important for you to know. Not in the way of a “to do” list, but more of a “give yourself grace” list.

The tree before and after
… Read more...

How can I help a friend who lost her child to suicide?

One of the most frequent questions I get is, “How can I help my friend who lost his or her son (or daughter) to suicide?” And so I’ll answer that here with some explanation of how those parents feel. I can’t possibly touch on everything. I have a 280-page book that does that.

So first, I’m going to say, please say the child’s name!

I remember a story from a friend who lost his Dad to suicide in the 1970s. No one came by. No one called. And then two days after, a neighbor dropped by but didn’t come in. … Read more...

The George Clooney of dogs has joined Charles in heaven

Andy pops out of the car with his young owner and runs around the yard. Charles takes to him immediately. They run around together and Charles is conscious that he doesn’t want to look too excited. But I can tell it’s a done deal. Andy will be our dog.

Andy dog is four. Charles is 15.

Years prior in middle school, Charles had made a soul-wrenching appeal in an English paper for a dog. Anyone with a heart would have adopted one in ten minutes after reading it. But I kept my boundary. I had a new business, two kids, … Read more...

Grieving in front of a child

Should you hide your tears? Your pain? Won’t grieving in front of your kids make them more afraid of death and losing you?

You looked this up or saw this on social media and decided to read because maybe your sibling, friend, parent, spouse, or cousin told you that you shouldn’t grieve in front of the kids. They’ve grief shamed you. Maybe they said you needed to be “strong” in front of the kids. In this case, they defined strong as hiding your feelings as if that’s some badge of honor–covering it all up for their sake.

Let’s say … Read more...

How one mom moves forward after losing her children

as i sit in heaven

“I lost my daughter in 1985 and my second daughter in 2018 and just lost my son 2020😭. There is never closure but I will share what I read every morning to help me through my day.”

When I read this posted on Facebook by another mom, I could hardly breathe. All I could think about was, “If she can do this. So can the rest of us.” I love posting coping hacks, strategies, and ideas from others. Because what might help one person work through grief, might help another. 

We can survive loss. We can survive loss of a … Read more...

Coping Strategies for Grief & Loss Virtual Workshop

Tuesday, December 8, 2020 05:00 PM- 6:30 PM EST

REGISTER

Description

This event is in partnership and promoted through Ellwood Thompson, a local grocery store. This event is free but to support the cost of software a tip in the tip jar is appreciated but you are not obligated. https://annemoss.com/tip-jar/

This is a practical workshop with a short presentation and strategies on managing the pain of loss. Anne Moss lost a child to suicide and these strategies are applicable for anyone who has lost someone they love. This is for those who may be struggling with a loss during the … Read more...

I thought ‘I don’t want to do this’

I thought this when my son started misusing substances and when I found out he was addicted to heroin. I thought this before I went to bed after news of my son’s suicide. And there were other times in between where I just didn’t want to be the one who had to make a difficult decision and wished a fairy Godmother would sprinkle pixie dust and make it all better.

But the night he died, I so wanted to get out of having to grieve the loss of my child. Wasn’t there a detour I could take? And escape … Read more...

Coping Strategies for Grief and Loss of a Child

This is the half-hour workshop for Bereaved Parents USA. I usually do this live in about 1-1.5 hours and it’s more interactive but this had to be recorded. I will be experimenting with zoom rooms for a virtual general grief workshop in December. I adjust this presentation based on the audience. So if the audience is suicide loss survivors, then I adjust based on that. If the audience has more long-term survivors, I add points for that group.

Mental health speaker for schools
… Read more...

Anne Moss Rogers: Emotionally Naked; A Discussion About Loss By Suicide

I was honored to be on Dr. Gloria Horsley, Ph.D., M.S. C.N.S. and Executive Director, and her daughter Dr. Heidi Horsley, PsyD, LMSW, MS host the show, Open to Hope, .

The Open to Hope Mission:
Helping people find hope after loss.

Their Vision:
To provide an online forum to support people who have experienced loss: to help them cope with their pain, heal their grief, and invest in their future.

OpentoHope.com is an online website where people can share inspirational stories of loss and love. We encourage our visitors to read, listen, and share their stories of hope … Read more...