The Bereavement Companion Journal for The Day My Heart Turned Blue

By Karla J Noland

The Bereavement Companion Journal for The Day My Heart Turned Blue

The Bereavement Companion Journal for The Day My Heart Turned Blue is meant to complement Karla J. Noland's book, The Day My Heart Turned Blue: Healing After the Loss of My Mother. However, it c

• Language: English
• Publisher: Reveal Heal Thrive Limited Liability Company
• Release date: Dec 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781737498148

Karla J Noland

Karla J. Noland is a wife, working mom, award-wining author & speaker, and a certified Personal Development & Executive coach who loves sharing what she has learned. Her mission is to help working mothers prioritize themselves and their dreams at the top of their to-do lists, and create a winning strategy to achieve their goals.

Book preview

Introduction: Journey to Healing

The Day My Heart Turned Blue Bereavement Companion Journal is meant to complement Karla J. Noland’s book, The Day My Heart Turned Blue: Healing After the Loss of My Mother. However, it can also be used on its own to guide you on your bereavement journey. The purpose of the companion journal is to guide the bereaved through the process of healing, reflecting, and honoring their parent so they can move forward.

The journal is composed of three parts:

Part 1: Embrace Your Emotions. This section will walk you through a cathartic experience of identifying and releasing the range of powerful emotions triggered by the loss of a parent. Grief cannot be stifled or rushed. You need to allow yourself to experience all of the emotions in order to get to the other side. And you get to decide what the other side of grief looks like for you.

Part 2: Self-Care for a Grieving Heart. This section outlines the four steps to bereavement self-care that can help you heal from a wounded heart. Grief can have an unshakeable hold on your heart when you lose a loved one. Mourning ensues your heart is devastated, and you realize that what was no longer is. Fortunately, with proper care, a wounded heart can heal.

Part 3: Honor Your Loved One. This section will coach you through the process of moving forward by celebrating your loved one’s heavenly birthday, getting through the holiday season, and turning your pain into purpose. You can view life from a new perspective as you heal, one that is full of hope and inspiration.

In between each chapter of the companion journal, you will find self-check-ins that prompt you to perform emotional checkups on yourself. The check-ins are designed to provide you with valuable personal insight into your current emotional state and allow you to reflect on the progress you have made.

Remember that you are the author of your life. Your journal should be unapologetically raw and honest, no matter how difficult the pain is right now. When you pour your heart out on paper, you shine a light on the darkest emotions you may experience due to your grief. You might even consider turning this journal into a memoir documenting your healing journey after your parent’s death. Some days, it may feel like you’re climbing a relentless mountain with an enormous amount of weight on your back. Be encouraged. Your life may feel like a mess, but this so-called mess could be revealing an inspirational message for you to shared to encourage others.

May the therapeutic power of journaling in The Day My Heart Turned Blue Bereavement Companion Journal allow you to reveal the areas in your life where you need to heal the most, so you can move from surviving grief to thriving in life.

Part 1

Chapter 1

Face Your Grief

Here’s a riddle for you:

I have a starting point with no end in sight. I sneak up on you without warning and make you lose all your might. You cannot ignore me, no matter how busy you get. I remind you of what you’ve lost, so you never forget.

Answer: Grief

Grief didn’t strike me the moment my mother died. Instead, my grief began when I realized my mother was dying, which was on her 78th birthday. Shock, disbelief, and sadness weighed on me from that moment on because I knew the inevitable would happen.

When my mother passed away, I acknowledged