Suggestions about what to do for the future
An anniversary is a bit like a birthday. It is usually a special thing that we celebrate once a year like a wedding or maybe when a child joined their forever family.
Your brain can remember when the anniversary of the scary thing is coming up. Thoughts and feelings about what happened can just pop into your head or you might feel a bit wobbly and not know why.
Sometimes the news and social media will talk about the event when the anniversary is coming up, so it’s a good idea to try not to look at these if you can as you could find it upsetting.
It’s a good idea to plan what you’d like to do, especially for the first anniversary. It’s up to you what you choose to do. Some people like to:
- Go to a religious service with other people.
- Visit the place where the bad thing happened in a small group.
- Spend a quiet day at home away from reminders.
The feelings you had when it happened can come back. You might feel sadder or angrier than last time. These are normal and your clever brain will help you deal with it in the best way it can.
Remember there are lots of things you can do and reminding yourself of these by talking with your parents or carers will help you.
There is a quick reminder of everything we have looked at on the next page.