Grief Archive

Most hospitals have chaplains who can provide emotional and spiritual support to patients and their families during challenging medical situations, such as impending heart surgery, a worsening bout of heart failure, or cardiac arrest. Spiritual care, which has been linked to improved health outcomes, encompasses but does not necessarily include formal religious practices. It aims to help people explore sources of comfort and hope while coping with the challenge of a diagnosis.

Some people find it difficult to meditate, perhaps due to inexperience, stress, or chronic pain. To overcome meditation resistance, it helps to take a meditation class or work with a meditation coach; use a meditation app; meditate in a setting free of interruption; meditate at the same time each day, so it becomes part of a daily routine; and try various meditation styles, such as Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness meditation, or guided meditation, to see which one is most comfortable.

Men can encounter episodes of depression and anxiety as they age. Such feelings often stem from life experiences like grief, financial anxiety, health issues, and the loss of independence. While confiding in friends and family can sometimes help, men may benefit more from therapy. A professional therapist can help identify the causes of their emotional problems and create a strategy to resolve them.

An online tool to predict heart disease risk might be more accurate if it included a psychological health assessment. Including depression screening results appears to strengthen the tool's ability to predict heart disease deaths.

Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) involves 12 months or longer of debilitating grief. An estimated 7% to 10% of bereaved people experience PGD. Signs include feeling as though part of you has died, marked sense of disbelief about the death, denial or immense difficulty accepting the loss, extreme loneliness, and feeling that life is meaningless. People who are more vulnerable to PGD include women in general as well as people who lost a loved one in a traumatic or unexpected way, lost a child, or have coped with anxiety or depression. Treating PGD may involve a blend of therapies.

When ADHD persists through early adulthood into middle age, it presents many of the same challenges it does in childhood, but with added pressures from the busier pace of life and expectations from work and family. Fortunately there are strategies that can help you navigate this condition.

Many single older adults say that they are not looking for a relationship, and that hesitation may be connected to the anxiety about how to pursue a new relationship. But men should explore dating if they are interested. There are now easier ways for singles to meet, such as online dating. Another option to meet other singles is to explore a new activity or hobby, like signing up for a class or workshop or joining a fitness group or club.