Grief and Loss
Grief & Loss
When you have a large loss in your life it is a natural response to have grief or grieve what you could have had. The pain of loss is often overwhelming and can lead to multiple coexisting emotions like pain, shock, anger, disbelief, or profound sadness. Those experiencing grief will all determine what emotions or actions help them to cope. Each individual’s grieving process will look different.
Coping with the loss of a loved one, a job, or a potential opportunity can be hard to go through. Intense feelings and emotions accompany the grieving process and disrupt your normal life.
Grief Can Come Over More Than Just Death
Any type of loss can come with grief. Multiple types of loss will result in the individual going through the stages of grief and set them back on their progress in life.
Other life-altering moments that can lead to grief include:
- Divorce
- Breakup
- Losing a job
- Financial strain or loss of a job
- Miscarriage
- Death of a pet
- Missed opportunity or loss of a dream
- Friendship breakup
- Serious illness (individual or in a family member)
- Selling your first home
- Retirement
- Graduating or ending of life seasons
This list of moments is not comprehensive, and no matter what situation you are going through, you should not feel ashamed for going through stages of grief. Coming to terms with a loss will take time, but there are healthy ways to cope. Red Willow Counseling and Rehabilitation can help you determine how you handle situations and what coping mechanisms will work best for you.
There are also different types of grief that can occur. Anticipatory grief refers to grieving the loss before it even happens. Disenfranchised grief is when your loss is stigmatized, or can not be openly discussed which may make the grieving process much longer or more challenging. Complicated grief refers to long-term grief that has not eased over time. Complicated grief can be hard to determine, but extended feelings that life is not worth living are cause for concern.
The Grieving Process And Stages Of Grief
The five stages of grief are similar for everyone who goes through a large loss. Any of the following emotions are normal to feel after a life change, but if you are having trouble moving through the stages, therapists can help you work through the emotions that come with extreme loss.
- Denial: “This can not be happening.” “This doesn’t happen to people like me.”
- Anger: “It is all ___ fault!” “Why do bad things continue to happen!”
- Bargaining: “If only I could have…” “If you heal them I will do ____.”
- Depression: “Life isn’t worth it anymore.” “I am too sad to continue on.”
- Acceptance; “This is what was supposed to happen.” “I accept what has occurred.”
Grief Counseling With Red Willow
Our team of therapists and specialists understands how hard the loss of a loved one, job, or family pet can be. Moving forward with your life can seem insignificant when you have experienced a major loss. Sometimes talking about the grief with friends or a therapist can help ease the burden on you. The key to making it out of the darkest stages is to seek support and comfort from others.
Red Willow can help you work through complex emotions while helping you develop coping skills to help you in the future. The loss of someone or something may affect you for the rest of your life, but learning to manage emotions or move forward after the loss
