L27 A Siblings Grief for young Adults C13R1404

One of a series of leaflets published by The Compassionate Friends Remembering For many of us, keeping the memory of our sibling alive is an important part of our ‘new normal.’ There are many ways of doing this. We might work on some of these with family or friends, but other projects will be just for ourselves. A few ideas: • Creating something – art, craft, poetry • Gathering keepsakes for a memory box • Collecting photographs or video clips, perhaps making something out of them • Creating an online memorial • Fundraising for a charity linked in some way to our sibling • Taking on a challenge, such as a long-distance walk or cycle ride • Volunteering or doing other helpful activities in honour of our sibling There are many more ideas in the TCF Handbook Remembering our Child available to view online at www.tcf.org.uk/rememberinghandbook These activities not only honour the memory of our sibling, but can also help by giving us a positive focus for our energies and thoughts. Social media Most of us spend a lot of time in the digital space and we are already aware of the potential pitfalls. Still, we might be more vulnerable following the death of our sibling. Even well-meaning comments could upset us. Taking a break from online platforms may help us avoid potentially upsetting content. There is also a question of what to do with our previous communications with our sibling via social media. While it can be a wonderful thing to be able to ‘hear’ their voice through their past posts, messages and photos, looking back through these can be very painful.