To mark the start of February, we would like to share with you this month’s Poem of the Month, Feel No Guilt in Laughter – author unknown.

Our minds go into emotional overdrive when we lose someone we love. All of these emotions can be overwhelming and can make us feel worse than we thought possible. Often when someone we care about dies, we get hit with the overwhelming emotion of guilt. Possibly guilt about something we once said, guilt about something we regret not doing or even guilt that we are still alive when that person has gone. Try to forgive yourself – self forgiveness isn’t easy, and it doesn’t mean that you excuse or condone the wrongdoings of the past, it means accepting them in order to learn and move on. Your loved one wouldn’t want you to suffer needlessly.
Guilt is an emotion often experienced throughout grief and it can often stop us from enjoying things, or doing things that we really would like to do. This poem not only highlights the emotional confusion that is often felt but also provides the other side of the story, how your loved one would want you to feel.
If you are feeling guilt while grieving, try balancing your negative thoughts. For every negative thought that comes into your head, try to find a positive to balance it out. For instance, if you are feeling guilty because you were not there when that person died, think about all the times that you were there to support them.