In grief our hearts are broken not our minds

Tools for finding hope along the journey: Knowing we are not crazy


A broken heart can mimic a broken mind. When we are grieving it can seem to us and others that we have lost our minds. We are unfocused and forgetful. But the truth is that though our minds are foggy but not broken. We are capable of deciding how to grieve in the way that works best for us. Know that grief is crazy making so if you are forgetting things and not being able to think straight you are grieving and you are normal.

Artwork by Tanya Lord
About the Artist

Tanya Lord was a special education teacher when Noah died. After his death she read The Institute of Medicine’s report To Err Is Human and realized that the errors responsible for her son’s death were not unique. This created a desire and determination to better understand and work towards improving health care. Currently she has completed a master’s degree in public health and a PhD in clinical and population health research and is completing a post-doctoral fellowship. Lord shares her personal and professional experiences in presentations and workshops for medical staff and students focusing on the importance of effective communication with patients before and after an error. She also is a co-founder of The Grief Toolbox (www.thegrieftoolbox.com), which offers tools to help those along the grief journey. Lord may be contacted at [email protected]