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Grief

Photo of a burning tower with smoke, reflects a man and woman standing nearby in an urban setting.

Emotions

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What it means for something to ‘sink in’ emotionally

The impact of important events is more than an emotion or mood – it must ‘sink in’, which is a process that unfolds in time

by Matthew Ratcliffe

Painting of a seated woman with her head resting on her arm, wearing a brown dress with a white sleeve, against a dark background.

Grief

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There is consolation in a philosophical approach to grief

Grief feels bad, but that doesn’t mean we’d be better without it. By highlighting what we value, it can help us adapt to loss

by Michael Cholbi

Abstract photo of rolled corrugated paper forming spirals and curves, with light creating shadows on its textured surface.

Emotion regulation

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What geometry taught me about awe, love and grief

I’ve loved geometry all my life. This is what it has taught me about grief, and what grief has taught me about geometry

by Michael Frame

Black and white photo of ancient ruins with a large archway and detailed facade a lone figure walks in the foreground.

Grief

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Ancient Akkadian poems and medical texts reveal grief’s universals

The oldest story in the world, the ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’, shows us that the pain of grief is a fundamental part of being human

by Moudhy Al-Rashid

Photo of a tattoo on a person’s chest. It reads “RIP My Baby Boy” with dates and a rosary design around the text.

Grief

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‘A tattoo is for life’: how memorial tattoos help the bereaved

More intimate and permanent than other reminders, tattoos offer an embodied form of meaning-making in the wake of loss

by Jennifer L Buckle & Sonya Corbin Dwyer

Photograph of a person lying on a floral sofa wearing jeans socks and an ankle monitor with a red cushion nearby.

Stigma and taboo

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The families of people who commit sex crimes need care and support

While they deal with a kind of grief, the relatives of those who harm others sexually are subject to blame and judgment

by Azadeh Nematy

Photo of two men hugging in a sombre moment at night one has a tear running down his face.

Memoir

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The hug from a stranger that helped me overcome my grief

Levinas explains how connecting with strangers helped me move through my grief to imagine new possibilities for the future

by Will Buckingham

Illustration of two deer running in a forest with Arabic script on the side and bottom, from a historical manuscript.

Grief

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After my mom died, I found comfort in a medieval Andalusi tale

Ibn Tufayl’s story of a man mourning the gazelle who raised him helped me appreciate the interconnection of all things

by Veronica Menaldi