One thing I've learned is that grief is not a straight line. Grief is hugely personal and individual to every person

"Irish Hospice Foundation's Caroline O'Connell struggled to cope for years after the death of her mother - now she says talking to someone about your grief is vital for your healing process"

"Caroline O'Connell says she literally screamed. "It was like my world collapsed. One thing I've learned from working with the Irish Hospice Foundation is that grief is not a straight line. It isn't the old-style interpretation of, you go through the stages and expect it to be a nice, neat journey, and you come out the other side and you're able to cope and process everything. Grief is messy.""

"The 53-year-old director of fundraising with the Irish Hospice Foundation adds: "Grief is hugely personal and individual to every person.""

Caroline O'Connell literally screamed after her mother's death, describing the experience as feeling like her world collapsed. She is the 53-year-old director of fundraising with the Irish Hospice Foundation. Working with hospice services taught that grief is not a straight line and does not follow an old-style stages model that guarantees a neat journey to coping and processing. Grief often returns unpredictably and remains messy. Grief varies greatly between individuals and is hugely personal. Speaking with someone about grief is essential to the healing process.

Read at Independent