Are You Struggling with Grief and Loss?
There are many different types of grief, from a breakup to the loss of a job; to losing a spouse or a companion animal; to more complicated grief, like losing a child, losing someone to dementia, or losing someone to a violent death. You might be grieving a lost childhood or the health of the planet. Each person’s response to grief is unique and personal. “You should have moved on by now” and other insensitive remarks can make a grieving person feel even more isolated and misunderstood. There is no formula to be followed with grief, just a slow, in-your-own-time adjustment to a new life.
There are a number of ways to deal with grief, starting with feeling….everything. Not just the feelings of sadness, despair and loss, but feelings of guilt, anger, and relief, too, possibly. It’s important to release these feelings, so that they don’t get stuck inside you. Releasing, by the way, may be talking or it may be writing or expressing them through creative expression like art-making, collage or photography.
There will also be space to pay tribute to the loved one who is gone, creatively thinking about the absolute best way to honor them, and keep them with you, in a sense.
Many people try to compartmentalize their grief, tuck it away, keep their heads down, and go on; and they may even feel like they’ve “gotten over” it. But grief can come back to visit when we least expect it. We may always feel that sadness that emerges, but it is possible to feel less in a dark hole.
Do you think it’s your time to work through your grief and loss? It’s important to work with someone who is experienced with issues of grief. It is always my honor to work with people undergoing this journey. It is both a completely unique and wholly universal experience that touches each person differently.
