Why Sad Songs Can Feel So Good
You would think that when we are already sad, the last thing we would want is to listen to music that makes us cry. But many of us find ourselves going back to those songs, especially on the hardest days. Maybe it is because we spend so much time trying to keep our grief under control. We get through work, answer people when they ask how we are and try to keep up with everything that still needs to be done. Then a song comes on and we don’t have to hold it all in anymore.
There is something comforting about hearing someone put words to a feeling we have not been able to explain. The song may not even be about grief, but somehow it still understands us. Crying does not mean we are going backward. We may simply need the release.
Sad music is not helpful for everyone, and there may be days when it feels like too much. But if you have a song that helps you let some of it out, turn it up. The song that makes you cry may also be the one that helps you feel a little lighter afterward. My sad song right now is Pink Skies by Zach Bryan. Do you have a song you listen to to let it out?
Find out more: Sad music ‘activates” your nervous system.
~Robyn
Robyn Houston-Bean
Founder, The Sun Will Rise Foundation
Find the most up-to-date meeting info, ZOOM links and LOCATION info all in one place! DOWNLOAD THE TEAMUP APP CALENDAR ON YOUR PHONE. Click here for how to join app! The teamup calendar automatically updates to your timezone.
Please check the calendar before you drive to an in-person group…last-minute changes can happen. If it is not listed on the monthly calendar, it is cancelled for that date.
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MEETING CHANGES THIS WEEK
The zoom group for Parents scheduled for tonight has been postponed until to next Sunday.
Liz Driscoll is facilitating for Janice Kaplan for the Newly Bereaved group this month.
FEEDBACK SURVEY LANTERN MAKING & GLOWSTICK REMEMBRANCE/LANTERN WALK
Final chance to share feedback: Please complete the IOAD Feedback Event Survey
10 YEAR CELEBRATION! OUR LARGEST FUNDRAISER IN YEARS! Please help keep our peer grief support free!
Tickets have sold out for our Together in Light Celebration & Benefit Evening. But there are other ways to support us and help keep peer grief support free! See options below!
For $25, you can include a short message in memory of someone you care about. You do not need to attend the celebration to place a tribute. We would love to fill the memory book with the people who brought all of us together. Deadline extended to 9/21/26.
Sponsor or Donate! The Memory/Ad book deadline was extended to 9/21/26. After tomorrow, you can still donate or sponsor, but it just won’t make it into the ad book. Your support helps ensure that people bereaved due to substance use-related causes never have to grieve alone.
Numbers 1–99 are up for auction and they may never be available like this again. For the first time, some of the lowest-numbered Massachusetts Overdose Awareness license plates are available to the public. These plates are more than a rare number. They honor lives taken too soon, raise awareness everywhere they travel and help support families bereaved due to substance use-related causes.
Already have an Overdose Awareness plate with a higher number? You are still eligible to bid and replace it with a lower one. Most opening bids are $500, with higher starting bids for select single-digit plates. Don’t wait for someone else to claim the number that means something to you. Auction closes October 3, 2026.
Raffle proceeds will support The Sun Will Rise and help us continue providing free peer grief support to people bereaved due to substance use-related causes. Prizes include Patriots, Bruins & Celtics tickets, Oasis Day Spa gift certificate, a boys and girls bike, a scratch ticket basket and more! Email Leslie@thesunwillrise.org if you would like to buy raffles tickets but aren’t attending.
HERE IS SOME OF WHAT HAPPENED AT TSWR RECENTLY!
The Milton MA IOAD Butterfly event was wonderful. The rain and cool day did not stop everyone from gathering to remember those who are deeply missed and release butterflies in their honor in a different way.
UPCOMING TSWR & SADOD ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
Tuesday, September 22nd, 6:30 - 8:00 pm Peer Support Community Partners’ psychoeducational workshop: Grief and Anger: How to Cope with a Natural Reaction to Loss. Many grieving people experience anger, toward circumstances, systems, other people, themselves, or even the person who died. Yet anger in grief is often misunderstood, judged, or difficult to talk about openly. You will explore why anger can emerge in grief, the many ways it may show up emotionally and physically, and compassionate ways to cope with and express these feelings. Learn more and register at bit.ly/grief-anger-workshop. Please note this workshop has a $10 fee for individuals outside of Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents may attend this workshop for free due to funding from MA-BSAS by using promo code MASS at the time of registration. Non-MA residents, if cost is an issue, use promo code SCHOLARSHIP to register for free. REGISTER.
October 3, 2026 Boston MA TICKETS SOLD OUT!
MEMORIAL WALK
Our partners The Family Restored are holding their 13th annual Memorial Walk. Please join them and walk to remember.
HALO INITIATIVES: FAMILY OVERDOSE SUPPORT FUND
Boston Residents! If you are a BOSTON resident who has experienced the death of a family member to overdose within the last 2 years, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial support. Apply here.
Do you know someone bereaved due to substance use related causes that would appreciate our weekly email? Have them sign up here for support!
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“Please be happy. The sun will rise” ~Nick Bean