Good Grief: Healing After the Pain of Loss

Coping with grief after loss can be one of life’s greatest challenges. We all experience loss — whether it’s a death of someone we love, the end of a relationship, decline in health, or a job transition. Loss disrupts the continuity we feel in our lives. And that may throw our emotional balance into turmoil. Sadness, disbelief, anger, and fear can all be part of how we grieve. Or we may even feel detached and numb. We often describe the grieving process as linear, where we move through these emotions in an orderly, sequential fashion that ends in acceptance. But the truth is healing after loss can seem like a rollercoaster that looks different for everyone.  So what can we do to navigate the grieving process?  Healing After Loss Grief is a natural response to loss. Although we typically associate grief with the death of a loved one, it can occur during any life transition. Changes in our life — whether old, new, small, or major — deserve to be grieved. Give yourself permission to feel the emotions that come along with change.  Ignoring grief won’t make it go away — when our feelings remain unexpressed, we’re unable to move on from loss. If we don’t allow ourselves space to grieve, our emotional wounds won’t heal properly, like attempting to walk on a broken leg that has not yet set. During this process, it’s more important than ever to take care of your mental and physical health.  Acknowledge Grief – Grief that isn’t recogni...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Grief and Loss Bereavement grieving Source Type: blogs