<p><strong>Every step tells a story. A chance to pause, to honour, to remember.</strong></p><p>This March, RIP.ie invites you to take part in something truly special: the <a href="https://ripremembers.rip.ie/"><strong>RIP.ie Remembers Walk – 20km for 20 Years</strong></a>. This nationwide initiative marks two decades of connection, remembrance, and community.</p><p><strong>SIGN UP HERE:</strong><a href="https://ripremembers.rip.ie/"><strong> </strong>https://ripremembers.rip.ie/</a></p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQvLMkz0B1E"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yQvLMkz0B1E" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure><h3>Celebrating 20 Years of RIP.ie</h3><p>For 20 years, RIP.ie has been a cornerstone of Irish life. It’s a place where we come together to pay respects, share condolences, and honour the memory of loved ones. In times of grief, it has provided a space for families, friends, and communities to connect and support one another.</p><p>This anniversary is more than a milestone; it’s a tribute to the role RIP.ie has played in bringing people together during life’s most difficult moments. Now, we’re bringing that spirit into the real world. The RIP.ie Remembers Walk is a way to transform remembrance into action, creating a living tribute to those we’ve lost.</p><h3>What Is the RIP.ie Remembers Walk?</h3><p>The concept is simple but deeply meaningful:</p><ul><li>Walk 20 kilometers during March, at your own pace, anywhere you choose.</li><li>Walk in memory of someone special a loved one whose life you want to honour.</li><li>Walk alone or with a group, making it a shared moment of reflection and connection.</li></ul><p>This is not about speed or competition. It’s about taking time to remember and celebrate the lives that shaped us.</p><h3>Why Take Part?</h3><p>Every step is a tribute. Every registration is an act of remembrance. And every fundraising effort helps create hope for others.</p><ul><li>Choose a charity close to your heart and raise funds in honour of your loved one.</li></ul><ul style="list-style-type:disc"><li>For every registrant who fundraises, RIP.ie will plant one foot of native woodland in our dedicated Remembrance Woodland in Carlow, creating new life and a lasting legacy.</li></ul><h3>How to Register</h3><p>Signing up is easy:</p><ol><li>Click<a href="https://ripremembers.rip.ie/"> here </a>to sign up.</li><li>Register as an individual or create a group page for family and friends.</li><li>Dedicate your walk to someone you’ve lost and share their story.</li><li>Select a charity to support in their memory.</li></ol><h3>Fundraising Options</h3><p>Your walk can make a real difference. By fundraising for charities that support bereavement, health, and community services, you help turn grief into purpose and remembrance into action.</p><h3>Join Us</h3><p>This March, let’s walk together across Ireland and beyond to honour those we’ve lost and support those who remember.</p><p><br /><a href="https://ripremembers.rip.ie/">Register today </a>at RIP.ie and be part of a nationwide movement of remembrance, hope, and community.</p>

RIP_ie_Remembers_Walk_What_It_Is_and_How_to_Register_3b786717dde7919ebaaaa455d962bc6c4144786be1b6686c.png

RIP.ie Remembers Walk: What It Is and How to Register

<h3>When Everything Feels Overwhelming</h3><p>When you’ve experienced the loss of a loved one, there can be times when it all feels like too much. You might feel restless, agitated, or unable to relaxeven when you’re exhausted. It can seem as though your whole body is tensed, bracing for something.</p><p>When stress, loss, or sudden change occurs, the body reacts automatically. The nervous system instinctively shifts into the sympathetic state, often called the "fight or flight response". This is a primitive survival mechanism designed to protect you and help you respond quickly to danger.</p><p>In this state, you might notice your heart racing, your breathing becoming fast and shallow, your muscles tightening, and your focus narrowing. In short bursts this response is useful, but when we spend too long in fight or flight, it stops being protective and can leave us feeling tense, anxious, and overwhelmed, making the grief even harder to carry.</p><h3>One Breath at a Time</h3><p>Breathwork can be a very effective and simple way to regulate your nervous system and shift back into the calmer, parasympathetic state.</p><p>What is Breathwork? It is the practice of consciously guiding your breathing in different ways to influence how you feel in your body and mind. Breathing is unique because although it happens automatically, it can be intentionally regulated. When you change how you breathe, you can change how you feel.</p><p>By practicing different breathwork techniques, you can activate pathways in the nervous system that promote relaxation, improve focus, and support emotional regulation.</p><h3>A Calming Breath for Moments of Overwhelm</h3><p>When we breathe in, our heart rate speeds up. When we breathe out, it slows down. Slow, rhythmic breathing whereby you extend your exhale, activates the vagus nerve, signalling to your brain that it is safe to leave the fight or flight state.</p><p>Even a few intentional breaths can begin to shift your body into a calmer state. Breathwork won’t erase your feelings, but this technique can help press pause on your internal alarm giving you a pocket of calm. Over time, these pauses add up, giving your system more opportunities to recover.</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPkb4_YWMFw&amp;t=6s"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xPkb4_YWMFw?start=6" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure><h3>Try This Simple Breathing Technique</h3><p>To practice this breathing technique, find a position that feels safe and supportive. You might sit upright in a chair with your feet on the floor or lie down somewhere comfortable. If it feels right, place one hand on your chest and one on your belly. Close your eyes gently or simply soften your gaze.</p><p>1. Begin with a slow, gentle inhale through your nose, counting to four in your head.</p><ul style="list-style-type:square"><li>You don’t need to take a big breath, it should be light, gentle, and low into your belly.</li><li>Notice how your belly gently rises and falls under your hand.</li></ul><p>2. Without pausing, exhale slowly through your mouth for six counts, as though you’re gently blowing out a candle.</p><ul style="list-style-type:square"><li>With each exhale, visualise the stress or tension leaving your body.</li><li>Go at your own pace and never force your breath.</li></ul><p>3. Repeat this rhythm several times:</p><ul style="list-style-type:square"><li>Inhale for 4 counts.</li><li>Exhale for 6 counts.</li><li>If your mind wanders, return to the steady count in your head.</li></ul><h3>Notice What Changes</h3><p>As you breathe , you might notice small shifts in your body. You may not feel transformed, but you might notice a softening, a release. Perhaps your shoulders lower slightly? Or your jaw feels less tight? Maybe your heartbeat slows and steadies. Perhaps you simply feel the comfort of focusing on the steady rhythm.</p><p>There is no right or wrong outcome.</p><h3>Your Breath Is Always With You</h3><p>You can return to this practice anytime. You don’t need a quiet room, special equipment, or a long session. Even one or two minutes using this technique can make a difference. Your breath is always with you.</p><p>Over time, these moments of calm accumulate, creating more space for you to meet life as it is.</p><p>Your breath won’t erase life’s challenges, but it can remind you that with every inhale and every exhale, you carry with you a tool that is simple, effective, and always available to help bring your mind and body back from overwhelm to greater ease.</p><h3>A Gentle Reminder</h3><p>Think of these practices as gentle tools you can reach for to support your wellbeing.. They don’t replace medical or therapeutic care. Please only do what feels supportive for you, and if anything doesn’t feel right, simply return to your natural breath.</p><p>If you or a loved one is struggling with ongoing or overwhelming distress, I encourage you to reach out to a healthcare or mental health professional for extra support.</p>

When_Everything_Feels_Overwhelming__One_Breath_at_a_Time__3400fb87a75dee57e81cb51b9692d6a5d1fa24d4e30b7a22.png

When Everything Feels Overwhelming. One Breath at a Time.

Antrim

Armagh

Carlow

Cavan

Clare

Cork

Derry

Donegal

Down

Dublin

Fermanagh

Galway

Kerry

Kildare

Kilkenny

Laois

Leitrim

Limerick

Longford

Louth

Mayo

Meath

Monaghan

Offaly

Roscommon

Sligo

Tipperary

Tyrone

Waterford

Westmeath

Wexford

Wicklow

Condolence Books - Printed and Bound

RecaptureOne - QR Coded Memory Plaques

Mini Condolence Books - Printed and Bound

RIP.ie Sympathy cards

RIP.ie Acknowledgement cards

Condolence Book for Home Printing

RIP.ie Candles

Ogham Wishes

Angel Ornaments & Keepsake Boxes

RIP.ie Sympathy Christmas Card

Pressed Flowers with Verse / Photo

Religious & Spiritual

Hand-carved Celtic Wall Hangings

Mounted Prints

Holy Water Fonts, Crucifixes, Spiritual Wall Hangings & Celtic Art Pieces

Creating a printed hardbound book of online messages of condolence can be a meaningful way to preserve and honour the memories of a loved one.

Condolence Book Cover & Presentation Box - for Home Printing

Topic: Mindfulness

RIP.ie Remembers Walk: What It Is and How to Register

When Everything Feels Overwhelming. One Breath at a Time.

Memorial Gift Shop

Religious & Spiritual

Condolence Books - Printed and Bound

Condolence Book for Home Printing