The Truth About Grief: Is grief a sign of weakness?

Maureen Pollard interviews Cheryl about her experience of loss after being on a long and challenging road with her husband who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and battled addiction, both of which affected his behaviour and their relationship. They discuss how, for the last year of his life, Cheryl was filled with shame, isolation and embarrassment, and how after he died she suffered from survivors guilt and her own life ended up in a downward spiral. Cheryl talks about how much she benefited from grief counseling and from joining support groups for spouses of addicts. They also discuss how joining a choir during the tumultuous times helped Cheryl - "for that 1 1/2 to 2 hours a week it literally saved me because, you know, you're out of self, you are out of that self-absorption, whether it's self-pity, whether it's grief, whether it's whatever, there's a focus on something else".