Grief and Loss

“Death ends a life, not a relationship.” — Morrie Schwartz  (Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom)

If you’ve undergone a recent loss, you may be feeling as though your life has been completely altered. The death of someone you love affects your entire being. You may experience difficult and unexpected emotions like anger, guilt, regret, anxiety, and fear. But grief isn’t just emotional — it also impacts your thoughts, beliefs, sociability, behaviors, and physical reactions. Some of these common grief responses are:

• Changes in appetite, energy, and sleep, or other physical symptoms like headaches
• Desire to detach and self-isolate
• Crying or avoidance of places or reminders
• Disconnection from previously held spiritual, moral, or religious beliefs
• Stress-related brain fog or forgetfulness

Grief is unpredictable and messy.

Grief is not a linear process; it comes in waves. The emotions ebb and flow and rush in like a tidal wave at times. You may not know what triggers them. With healing, you notice the waves become less intense and frequent and perhaps don’t last as long.

When you’re hurting so much, it’s hard to believe you will ever feel differently. Many people respond to a loss and its accompanying grief by trying to avoid it and suppress their emotions. This only exacerbates the pain and suffering. The word emotion has the word motion in it. Grief has and needs movement. The only way is through it; you can’t heal what you don’t feel! As you work through the pain of loss over time, grief does indeed change — it doesn’t go away, but it changes.

If these symptoms feel familiar to you, know that a certified grief counseling specialist is here as a resource to help you address these difficulties. By getting to the heart of your grief and sorrow and following the path toward healing, you will be able to help yourself learn to live with the loss.