Seeing a person grieving the loss of their animal who is in pain or suffering makes most people uncomfortable, and we naturally want to help them feel better and even try to ‘fix’ them. As lovely as our intentions are, grief does not need fixing. It needs to be witnessed.

Many people, in their uncomfortableness, are often at a loss for words. They stumble and inadvertently, in their awkwardness, say things that do not come across as comforting to the grieving person. Although well-intentioned, we are often unaware that what we believed to be helpful was actually hurtful.

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Anticipatory grief is the grief you experience as you reconcile yourself with an anticipated loss, in this case, the death of a pet. One way anticipatory grief can manifest itself is through grief bursts. In this video, I will give you 5 steps to help you work through anticipatory grief & grief bursts.

Most of us would do anything to feel the presence of our passed pet around us again. I want you to know that yes, you can receive messages from your pet on the other side. But sometimes in your deep pain and grief you have a hard time hearing their messages. Here are 5 steps to open you up to receiving messages from your pet in the afterlife.

Grief expands your existing emotional repertoire. You can choose how you want it to join you. It can close you off from yourself and others as you try to hide and protect yourself from it, or it can deepen your empathy for yourself and others. Grief is felt on a deep soul level. It is a journey that is unique to each individual, yet, the intensity of the journey is common to all of us, which allows for connection and understanding.

When we view our animals as having a soul, we can reach inside for more profound gratitude and appreciation for our time with our beloved pets and the amazing gifts we received. If we remain open to love and gratitude in this time of deep grief, we can walk through our pain from their loss and find courage, healing, and a new self we never knew we had.