Renfrewshire Bereavement Network

08/12/2025

As we reach the last day of 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸, we’re reflecting on something many people don’t talk about enough, the duality of grief. How opposite feelings can exist side by side and how that’s completely normal.

Here are a few examples we see often:

💛 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲.
Moments of happiness don’t mean you’ve stopped caring, they just mean you’re human.

💛 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹.
Tears and gratitude can sit side by side. Feeling one doesn’t cancel out the other.

💛 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱.
Carrying memories with you isn’t the same as being stuck. Moving forward doesn’t mean leaving anyone behind.

Grief isn’t either/or. It’s often “both.”

However your feelings show up today, they’re valid. 🌿

07/12/2025

As we mark 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸, we’ve been thinking about what actually helps when you’re grieving. Not perfect fixes, just the things that make days a bit more manageable.

Using the idea of a seed:

🌿 𝗦𝗼𝗶𝗹 - 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀
The people or places that keep you steady, even when you don’t have the words.

💧 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 - 𝗥𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀 & 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀
The small things you do each day that bring a bit of structure, a walk, a cuppa, a familiar routine.

☀️ 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 - 𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝗲
Not big joyful moments, just the brief times when you feel a little lighter.

✂️ 𝗣𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 - 𝗟𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗼 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
Dropping the pressure to grieve in a “right” way or within a certain timeline.

Grief is personal. There’s no checklist. If you’re just doing your best today, that’s enough. 🌱

06/12/2025

Growing with grief doesn’t mean the sadness disappears, it means you’re finding small ways to live alongside it. These changes can be gradual and easy to overlook but they’re still meaningful.

Here are a few signs you might notice over time:

🌱 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝘀𝗲.
You’re more at ease expressing your grief without feeling you need to hide it.

🌱 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁.
There may still be sadness but the painful edge isn’t always as sharp.

🌱 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁.
It becomes more normal to feel a mix of things at once like sadness and gratitude.

🌱 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱.
Interests, routines or parts of yourself slowly start reappearing.

If any of these feel familiar, it’s not that the grief is “gone”, it’s that you’re learning how to live alongside it. And that’s a sign of strength, not distance from the person you miss. 🌿

05/12/2025

Grief is often much more than what we see on the outside ❄️🧊

The “iceberg of grief” shows how a person’s outward appearance may only reveal a small part of what they’re experiencing. Beneath the surface, there can be waves of anger, fear, guilt and physical symptoms that are unseen but very real.

During 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸, we want to remind everyone that grief is complex, personal and often hidden beneath the surface 💛✨

04/12/2025

Grief can feel completely overwhelming at times and there’s no perfect way to deal with it. But there are small things that can help you get through the day, bit by bit. The ideas in this post aren’t rules, just gentle reminders you can lean on when you need to.

🌿 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆
Simple things like eating, resting, or moving your body at your own pace really do make a difference.

🌿 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻
Fresh air or a few minutes in nature can give your mind a bit of space.

🌿 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲
Whatever you’re feeling is valid, there’s no “wrong” emotion in grief.

🌿 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀
It’s okay to step away from the heaviness sometimes. Taking a break isn’t avoiding grief, it’s looking after yourself.

🌿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼
Talking to someone or asking for support is a strength, not a weakness.

You’re doing the best you can in a hard situation and that’s enough. 🌱

03/12/2025

Grief is a painful emotional response we feel when a loved one dies, it is universal, but also deeply personal.

It’s more than sadness; it can be chaotic, unpredictable, overwhelming and different for everyone. ❤️‍🩹

There is no right way to grieve and no timeline you need to follow. Everyone has a right to grieve in the way that feels true to them.

Wherever you are in your grief, remember:

You’re not doing it wrong. You’re doing the best you can 🤍

02/12/2025

This week is 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 (Tuesday 2nd – Monday 8th December) 💜🕊️

At Renfrewshire Bereavement Network, we want to shine a light on what grief truly is, how it impacts us, and why it’s not something we simply “get over.”

Grief changes us, and slowly, we learn to grow with it 🌱💛
Throughout the week, we’ll be sharing reflections and resources to support anyone navigating loss 🤝💞

01/12/2025

As Christmas approaches 🎄💛 many of us feel the pull of the relationships that shaped our lives, the love we shared and the people we long to have beside us again ✨

At this time of year, when memories feel especially close, we welcome anyone who would like to remember a loved one.

At 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, you’re invited to come in, take a decoration 🎁🌲, and write the name of your special person on the back. You may also wish to add a message of love 💌 or a few words that help keep their memory near.

Then, with care and remembrance 🤍, you can hang it on our tree, a gentle way to honour those who are not with us this Christmas 🌟 but are held forever in our hearts 💛✨.

28/11/2025

27/11/2025

Grief often lives in the quiet places,
in the flicker of light,
the hush before rain,
the memories that sit softly beside the sadness.

If you’re missing someone who now feels just beyond what you can see,
may these words offer a moment of comfort.
It's okay to feel it, one moment at a time. 🌿

20/11/2025

“If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart, I’ll stay there forever.”

At Renfrewshire Bereavement Network, we’re here to listen and sit with you in the moments when love and loss meet. 💛

14/11/2025

We may not be available over the weekend but please remember if you are not coping and in need of urgent help, support is always available:

📞 First Crisis: 0800 221 8929
📞 Samaritans: 116 123
📞 Breathing Space: 0800 83 85 87

RBN is here to support you Monday to Friday, 10am – 3pm.

Don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here to help 💜

If you live in and are experiencing grief or loss following the death of someone close, you can access support through our network.