Grief and Losses
Despite all the losses we face, we are capable of living a satisfactory life, because we are prepared to experience some degree of emotional distress. Losing someone or something you care about is always painful. It´s how we are able to embrace the painful experience, which will determine the amount of suffering and grief we experience. However, each individual faces loss differently.
We encounter a great number of losses through life. Losing a toy, a pet, a friendship, a family member; losing a dream, a relationship, health, mobility, the family home; change of residence, the job; experiencing changes in financial status, facing a separation, are all part of the difficulties that we encounter in life. We know the more significant the loss is, the more intense the pain. Experiencing an important loss, illness, a miscarriage or losing the sense of safety after a traumatic event may lead us to grief.
Grieving is an individual process.
Grieving is an individual process that puts together difficult emotions. All of us suffer and grieve differently and there is no right or wrong way to approach it. We experience loss as a result of a combination of factors among which we can find the type of loss, our personality, our coping styles and the number of losses you have experienced. Remember, there are no adequate or inadequate approaches to the grieving process, and all of them take time.
If you´ve had a great loss and are experiencing feelings of unbearable sadness, profound loneliness or emptiness, feeling scared, experiencing crying outbursts or great despair, keep in mind that you are probably experiencing normal reactions to situations that are abnormal to you. Although, you may need time to move on, your pain will not simply disappear with time. You need to acknowledge your pain, not ignore it. Reach out for someone to share with. Sharing the experience with those who are suffering the same loss may help, but remember that everyone works through the grieving process differently.
Avoid grieving alone.
Avoid grieving alone. Reach out to others. Finding support is of great importance for the healing process. Tell others what you need. Healing might start while receiving support from others. However, if your pain becomes unbearable, and working with others is not enough, call a therapist to help you. It seems particularly important to get in contact with a specialist if you are experiencing physical difficulties, such as important changes in your sleep, eating or hygienic habits. If aches, pains, nausea or even fatigue appear, look for some who can provide some understanding to all these symptoms.
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