Blog: hyperviligance

When Life Suddenly Shatters-Heidi McLaughlin

Posted: October 30, 2025

When a beloved spouse dies suddenly, the world stops in an instant. One moment life is full of laughter, anticipation, conversation and plans for the day. The next moment everything shatters. Everything feels unfamiliar. People are talking but nothing makes sense. There is the noise of ambulances, paramedics, machines and tension-filled voices. But in my mind, everything has stopped and I am in my own world of silence. Something has just happened where I know life will never be the same again. This is what happened to both of my beloved husbands. The next morning you wake up and are faced with a life you never wanted. People ask me which is harder. When someone dies slowly through cancer or a long-term illness, or the sudden death where they are gone in seconds? They are both the hardest things we will ever go through, but they are different. Sudden death…

Posted in: alone, anxiety, anxious, ask for help, counsellor, crisis, cry, death, do the hard work, don't give up, empty soul, Fear, grief affects the brain, grief changes us, grief is lonely, grief is misunderstood, grief is temporary, grit, hypervigilance, hyperviligance, Overcoming Struggles, Prayer, seasons of darkness, take care of your heart, time doesn't heal, trauma, trauma from grief

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