Hi, fellow grievers! Welcome to the . . .
Young Grief and Life Hangout
We are a community holding space to talk about life with grief! In English, in-person, in a café or other cool location around Vienna. Events take place every two to three weeks. Find all info in the event description on meetup.com. And scroll down for other grief worlds you can enter now . . .
Also, here are your ways to get in touch :) Adriana x
PS: We do indeed use Dixit cards, grounding objects and even quotes of writers and we love them all!
While in-person, and also virtual, events are wonderful — I know I'm biased —, connection can live in spaces that aren’t explicitly social and don’t require us to show up in a room with other people. Here are are a few grief worlds that you can enter from your home today, if it helps:
Grief world No. 1 — words ✎
As a grief facilitator, griever and writer alike, I've experienced first-hand how words can hold us when little else can. Already before loss, I turned to books and journaled to break through the speechlessness. Eventually, I started my own blog: Life (feat. Grief) over on Substack. I invite you to find your own "dealers of words" — be it grief researchers, writers, content creators on Instagram or even friends. Personally, I'm all for written words; encapsulating meaning that we can keep picking up. Grief world No. 2 also offers quite a few words, this time by masterful writers.
Grief world No. 2 — resources ✧
I have long believed in documenting my journey. I have also built a comprehensive grief guide interweaving quotes by some of the most authentic writers on the topic, along with grief research, a glossary, support options, the names of humans to follow as we map out this outlandish territory, and more. It is accessible to and shareable by anyone. Grief Resources for Fellow Grievers is built in Notion and focuses on bereavement grief, while offering handholds for anyone witnessing others in their pain, turning to expressivity, wanting to do better.
Grief world No. 3 — music ♫
Many things have been said about the power of music to break us apart and put us back together, giving us space to process sadness in safe ways (among other things). A while ago, when I looked around to find songs able to hold me in my grief, I was disappointed by repetitive playlists centering vocals and storylines of longing, sometimes Christian ones. So I created a Spotify playlist to feel it all—through rap, Broadway, Mozart, film music, orchestral pop, EDM, punk-rock, soul, you name it. Bereavement-fit, beyond the ballads and heavens. Maybe it will help you, too.
PS: The visual arts have been a companion across worlds. I remain grateful to all the creators — writers, photographers, visual artists and many more — who craft pieces transporting a gentle thoughtfulness .. with colours, movements, shadows, space, allowing me to hold space for myself and my writing. And don't get me started on the beauty, excitement, reassurance at having a consistent visual world to drop back into and to keep exploring, building, curating!
Photo (below) by Hulki Okan Tabak on Unsplash
