Sandy Rae a leading psychologist joins the show to give the Triple M Family tips on how to cope in the aftermath of a tragedy. Sandy explains “6 men a day take their lives and 2 women”, those figures have been consistent for years.

“What we understand is how we cope with grief, how we understand grief is almost like a tidal wave of emotions”. We have really big emotions and sadness at the very beginning then gently the waves become less and less.  

She explains that the waves never go away and that there is no closure to grief, but what we have is a reconciliation of what we feel about that person, what was going on and their circumstance. “Grief is often ongoing, and the waves just get a little bit gentler as time goes on”.

Asking “are you okay” is all you need to ask, explaining that you just need to be engaged and show that person that you are connecting with that person. If they reply “no I’m not okay” then sit with them and stay with that person until you can get that person to a GP or psychologist or someone that can comfort that person.

And if you have been affected by the issues raised in this clip, or just feel like you need to talk to someone, reach out to Beyond Blue or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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