The world seems to stop when we experience the deep distress of loosing someone who you know or the decease of a loved one whose life as we know it has ended. Even if we are not directly connected to that person, the strong and sudden impact transcends you into a protective numbing zone, which eventually transports your feelings for others who are close to the loss and at some point comparisons emerge which often involve questioning your own mortality.
We know that your unique blue print dominates the order, length, and content of your grief, just like we know that the personal isolation at times accompanies all the different emotions. This places you in an extremely sensitive and emotional state. The solitude is where you develop a protective barrier, it is the healing ground and it is where your grief begins.
Responses to grief
Your system reflects who you are and your uniqueness will determine how you express to the outside world your response to your loss. You may choose to be in the company of your friends and family for comfort, safety and support or retreat to be alone from everyone and find ways to cope. No one really knows the personal depth of your pain or how you will respond. If your response is severe, some of these reactions may include:
| Anger | Loneliness | Numbness | Disrupted sleep patterns |
| Anxiety | Guilt | Remorse | Loss of concentration |
| Changes in appetite | Helplessness | Sadness | Mood swings/constant tearfulness |
| Depression | Hopelessness | Shock | No interest in daily life |
| If only | Overwhelmed | panic | Loss of appetite |
The sheer emotion of grief and loss can often feel enormously overpowering becoming a preoccupation; as it disrupts your routines and capacity to function or to resume normal routine activities. If this persists without resolving these feelings it can leave you emotionally exhausted.
Help coping with grief and loss
If you are being consumed by grief and can’t find relief in your own support mechanism, grief counselling will help you to utilise professional techniques that are intended to resolve grief or loss and to become unstuck, so that the grieving process can maintain its normal transition by;
- Working through tender memories and feelings
- Making your grief manageable
- Realising how to enjoy life again, devoid of guilt
- Acceptance
The reality is that there is no normal time frame for anyone to recover from loss. The grief may always be there; but a professional grief therapist can help you manage your loss so that you can function and enjoy life again whilst still valuing the positive memories and experiences you have of your loved ones.
Phone: 08 8370 3509
