Welcome to Grief Stories
The more stories we share the less alone we feel
Welcome! Thanks for subscribing and joining the Grief Stories community - I’m so glad you are here!
I’m Katy Parker, a trauma-informed well-being writer who integrates mental health and faith into her words. I’m a mental health advocate and mentor, and grief and loss coach, born in Slovakia, but living in England (UK).
I have experienced loss several times in my life and am currently working on a book about grief and loss. But I know I am not alone. So many people have experienced loss in their lives. There are many different types of loss and grief is our natural response to it.
Many people feel isolated in their grief. After a loss, some people in our lives may back away, to try and give us space to grieve. Or we may feel like others just don't understand. Some people going through loss may feel like they have to continue to be strong for others and push the sadness to a back seat or save for times when they are on their own.
But you don’t need to go it alone.
If you are struggling with grief, the Grief Stories Community is a place to share experiences, get things off your chest, support one another, ask questions, and chat to people who truly ‘get it’.
Whilst grief is very personal, I believe that by sharing our stories we can help each other through what can be a very challenging period. I appreciate that opening up about our grief can be hard, I, therefore, appreciate everyone willing to share their story.
Would you like to share your story?
Email smiley@journeyofsmiley.com
I hope you’ll find this place one that makes you feel welcome and understood because we are always stronger together.
Grief isn’t something that needs to be ‘fixed’, but witnessed.
Shared stories can help us feel less alone
By subscribing to my Substack, you will receive monthly grief stories shared by writers who have experienced various forms of grief and loss. I feel that the insightful words which let you see that though you are walking your grief story individually, you are not walking it alone, are so valuable in moments of despair when you are looking for comfort, solace in suffering and richness in the raw. Knowing that others have walked through their grief and loss with thoughts and feelings and physically experienced their pain just like you have, along with their words of encouragement, hope, resilience and inspiration can provide reassurance, comfort, and empowerment in your grief journey and healing.
I am so grateful to them all for sharing their Grief Stories and for their honesty and vulnerability.
And I thank you for being here, for all the work that you do to heal your own heart, and for showing up for others with compassion.
You can learn more about me and my work on my website Journeyofsmiley, and you can follow me also on IG or FB.
And I would like to get to know your heart better too - feel free to introduce yourself by replying to this email or commenting on my Substack.
Katy
P.S. If you would like to forward this email to those who could use some support in healing after a loss I would love to welcome them to the Grief Stories community.