In the first few weeks and months of bereavement, you’ll probably feel like avoiding social occasions. Much though you might want to, you can’t hide away forever.
Although you won’t want colleagues to pretend that nothing has happened, often a warm smile or a hug is enough to know that people are thinking about you, rather than facing a barrage of well-meaning questions.
Holidays can be a fraught time when you've lost your partner. Whereas overseas trips were once a relaxing time that you used to plan and enjoy together, now you are faced with the bleak prospect of organising a holiday on your own.
Often the most difficult days to get through are significant dates that you used to celebrate, but now you’d probably rather forget - birthdays, wedding anniversaries, Christmas.
Dating after you've been widowed can be fraught with perils, particularly in the early months of bereavement, when you may still be feeling very emotionally raw.
