The death of a loved one can be one of the hardest experiences that human beings can suffer.

You might feel like you’ll never recover from the heartbreak, but you will. You’ll go through the stages of grief, and eventually will find joy again. Finding coping strategies becomes part of the grieving process.

A memory box can also called a keepsake box. It is any type of container where a grieving person can keep mementos safely inside. These may remind you of the person who is ill, who has died, or remind them of happier times.

All types of items can be kept inside including letters, photos, books, jewellery and clothing.

A memory box can be a helpful coping tool to help work through grief. Yours will be extremely personal to you and your experience.

If you have suffered the loss of a pet you may decide to create one. You may want to keep items inside that remind you of your pet.

If your parents have separated and you don’t get to see one of them often you can create one to remind you of them.

Special occasions like births, special birthdays or marriages can all have mementos to keep safe.

You may find one helpful for a person suffering from dementia. Items inside can ignite old memories.

There are many reason that people decide to keep a memory box. If you are looking for supplies to create your own, they can be found here;

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For ideas of memory boxes that can support children, please see here;

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Child Bereavement UK supports children who are grieving;

https://www.childbereavementuk.org/

The post What is a Memory Box? appeared first on Memories Box.

If we are unfortunate enough to know that one of our parents will soon die, say from diagnosis of a terminal illness, the grieving process starts from the day we find out.

A memory box for mum, or dad, can be a healing activity for all concerned.

There are some great journals available for parents that contain questions for parents to answer. This allows the child of that parent to be able to read about them for themselves.

Take photos, read stories, ask questions and keep mementos. It is items like these that will be treasured in the future.

I will always be grateful to have letters with my Dads handwriting on.

For younger children it might be nice to paint hands & print them onto the box.

There are many ways to use a memory box, but the best way is the one that feels right to you.

A from you to me Dear Mum journal is a beautiful gift to give you any mother. It allows them to answer prepared questions that their children can look back on at any time.

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Help and support is available from many charitable organisations such as the Good Grief Trust

https://www.thegoodgrieftrust.org/find-support/for-young-people/

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Una was kind enough to spend some time chatting to me about the best ways for parents and carers to start the conversation about life and loss with the children in their care.

Whether you choose to use a Memories Box or not, I hope that you find this video useful.

I hope that it helps and please reach out to myself or Una if you need further advice or support.

• How and when do I start the conversation? – If you are here now watching this video and consider this conversation important, then start now. Allow a space for the conversation to be had and ask them how they feel. Take the child’s lead.
• What if they refuse to interact? – Don’t panic, accept and try again another day, without pressure.
• Should I leave them to complete the activity alone or do it with them? – This type of craft (the button memory tree) evolves over time, so parents involvement should be available as this is to help conversations between adult and child.
• How much should I tell them about the preparation for or death itself? – It really depends on the child’s ability to understand and what they and the parent feel comfortable with. It is best if the parent knows how they feel themselves before discussing with your child.
• What if I cry, should I not be the strong one? – Tears do not mean that a person is not strong, an adult is still the one who is there for the child.
• How will I know if my child needs further support from professionals? – Pay attention to their changes in habits, altered sleep pattern, changes in behaviour or appetite. It is best to seek help and support early on as wellbeing and mental health of a child is so important.

Una Archer is passionate about supporting secure attachment in parent-child relationships.

She has dedicated her life and career to understand family dynamics.

With over 20 years of experience and qualifications that include ‘Circle of Security Parent facilitator training’ and ‘Brainspotting Therapy’ and being a mother herself she can offer such invaluable support.

Pop over to her site to book a free initial consultation

https://www.helpyourchildthrive.co.uk/

Thank you Una

With love to all

Helen x

The post Guest Blog with Una Archer Help Your Child Thrive, how to start the conversation about life and loss with your little one. appeared first on Memories Box.

Listen to how and why I decided to start Memories Box and why talking about bereavement and grief is so important to discuss with our children.

Lives can be affected by all types of grief and if this is not addressed in the right manner at the right time this can lead to mental health problems of all types in the future.

Please talk

with love

Helen x

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Having suffered several childhood traumas which led to mental health issues as an adult, I have used my experiences alongside years of training to empower children to #bebravelikeworley (Worley being my main emotion monster!) by teaching strategies so they can fill their emotional regulation toolkits.

One of the tools which I am passionate about promoting is the use of mindfulness in your family’s daily routine. The wonderful thing about mindfulness is even as little as 10 minutes a day can have amazing benefits.

Mindfulness teaches your child to take notice of what is happening now and stop their thoughts from drifting. Children experience stress just like adults do and in some cases they can experience more. It is vital to help our children embrace mindfulness to equip them with strategies to live a happier and more peaceful life.

Here are some of the benefits:
 Improves key skills like focus and self-control.
 Reduces the feeling of anxiety.
 Helps them to build strong relationships.
 Improves sleep.
 Supports a positive mindset.

When are children are faced with challenging situations that trigger a number of emotions having the tools to be mindful can be a great way to reduce the negative emotions and refocus the brain to bring a sense of calm during difficult times. A fantastic tool to run along side a memory box from Helen.

If you’re a parent looking for support with your child’s emotional regulation, please do come and join my community of Facebook. You’ll also get all the exclusive details about book two in the ‘When Worley’ series called ‘When Worley Gets Angry!’ – teaching children the tools to deal with anger,
https://www.facebook.com/groups/726425167937905
You can also find a number of mindfulness tool on my website (several resources are available as both hard copies and digital downloads) :
https://www.futurefootstepscoaching.co.uk/mindfulness-1

You can even follow me on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/worleyandco/

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