What is grief? Have you lost someone or something that is having a significant impact on your life?
Experiencing a loss gives rise to something called grief, an array of emotions that change us to our core. Coping with the loss of someone or something you have been close to you is hard and filled with a roller coaster of emotions. People tend to associate grieving with the death of a loved one, but any loss can cause grief to occur. Some examples are: divorce or relationship breakup, loss of a friendship, losing a job and financial stability, family separation, death of a pet, loss of a cherished dream, loss of health, selling the family home, or experiencing an accident or natural disaster. Your own unique interpretation of loss can trigger grief, manifesting an array of psychological symptoms.
What are some of the symptoms of grief?
- Shock and disbelief
- Yearning for what was lost
- Sadness and crying
- Problems with eating
- Guilt and blame
- Anger
- Fear
- Fatigue
- Sleep problems
- Lowered immunity
- Aches and pains
- Inability to concentrate
- Isolation and detachment from others
- Feeling like life is empty and meaningless
Bereavement, on the other hand, is how you heal from grief. It is the process of how you begin to recover from your loss so that you can move forward with your life. Adapting to loss can differ from person to person, depending on background, beliefs, relationship factors, but all people seem to go through a series of emotional stages that are best supported through counseling. It is important to get counseling while you grieve to ensure that depression is not taking hold. Feeling depressed over a period of time can lead to something called complicated grief that may require additional help. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between grief and depression. The simple difference is that depression seeks to avoid emotional pain, while grief seeks to uncover what has been lost. Depression reinforces despair, while grief moves through emotional pain and allows for new possibilities in life. With grief, there is a sense of hope that is not always found with depression. However, both grief and depression can sometimes manifest as similar emotional states.
I am someone who can help you navigate the uncharted waters of grief. Although it doesn’t seem so, you can and will feel better again.
