Today is Blue Monday, known as the saddest day of the year. The third Monday in January was reportedly chosen based on dreary weather conditions, credit card bills following the holidays, time since Christmas, failing new year’s resolutions and decreased motivation. When you add in the looming pandemic, this can be an especially blue Monday.
At Cowichan Hospice, we have a library full of wonderful resources from a wide range of authors and experts. Every item was hand-picked because of its helpful insights and guidance for the grief journey. It is is available to staff, volunteers and clients. We add new books (fiction and nonfiction alike) and DVDs as they are recommended. Here are some of the resources recommended by Hospice staff.
Inside Out
Animated Film
This animated film by Pixar Studies literally brings feelings to life. It follows five personified emotions: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust. Inside the mind, they lead a young girl through life as she and her parents adjust to their new surroundings after moving from Minnesota to San Francisco. The filmmakers consulted psychologists in order to achieve greater accuracy in their portrayal of the mind. It’s excellent for children and adults alike to understand that joy and sadness can actually work together.
Tuesdays with Morrie
Book (Non-fiction)
Tuesdays with Morrie is a memoir by American author Mitch Albom about a series of visits Albom made to his former sociology professor Morrie Schwartz, as Schwartz gradually dies of ALS. Albom rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man’s life. Knowing he was dying, Morrie visited with Mitch in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final “class”: lessons in how to live.
Moana
Animated Film
This Disney film tells the story of Moana, the strong-willed daughter of a chief of a Polynesian village, who is chosen by the ocean itself to reunite a mystical relic with the goddess Te Fiti. When a blight strikes her island, Moana sets sail in search of Maui, a legendary demigod, in the hope of returning the relic to Te Fiti and saving her people. The plot is original, but takes inspiration from Polynesian myths. Children and parents will appreciate the emphasis on family, lineage and grief.
The Places that Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times
Book (Non-fiction)
In this book, author Pema Chodron teaches that we can let the circumstances of our lives harden us and make us increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us and make us kinder. Discover the tools to deal with life’s difficulties!
Frozen 2
Animated Film
Set three years after the first blockbuster film, Frozen II follows sisters Anna and Elsa, Kristoff, his reindeer Sven, and the snowman Olaf as they travel to an enchanted forest to unravel the origin of Elsa’s magical power. But it’s also a deeper look at the painful legacy of colonization, the complex nature of grief and the road to healing through cultural reconciliation and reparations.
The Body Keeps The Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma
Book (Non-fiction)
Trauma is a fact of life. Traumatic experiences inevitably leave traces on minds, emotions, and even on biology. Sadly, trauma sufferers frequently pass on their stress to their partners and children. Renowned trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk has spent over three decades working with survivors. In this book, he transforms our understanding of traumatic stress, reveals how it rearranges the brain’s wiring, and shows how these areas can be reactivated through innovative treatments including neurofeedback, mindfulness techniques, play, yoga, and other therapies. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score offers proven alternatives to drugs and talk therapy—and a way to reclaim lives.
Coco
Animated Film
Coco follows a 12-year-old boy named Miguel who is accidentally transported to the Land of the Dead, where he seeks the help of his deceased musician great-great-grandfather to return him to his family among the living and to reverse his family’s ban on music. Not only is this a beautiful portrayal of the Mexican holiday “The Day of the Dead,” it showcases the importance of family and keeping our loved ones alive in our memory.
The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief
Book (Non-fiction)
Noted psychotherapist Francis Weller provides an essential guide for navigating the deep waters of sorrow and loss in this lyrical yet practical handbook for mastering the art of grieving. Describing how Western patterns of amnesia and anesthesia affect our capacity to cope with personal and collective sorrows, Weller reveals the new vitality we may encounter when we welcome, rather than fear, the pain of loss. Through moving personal stories, poetry, and insightful reflections he leads us into the central energy of sorrow, and to the profound healing and heightened communion with each other and our planet that reside alongside it.
