Coping with Grief

People who have experienced loss often woner if they're "coping with grief" appropriately. How do you know when you 'should' get over your loss? How do you know what's normal in grief? art by Morgan Rodrigues, 2020. Most people will experience grief at some stage of our lives, and although grief is often associated with the loss of a loved one, we also experience a grief response to other losses, such as a job, a home, a relationship and our health. 

A community unprepared

Although we all experience it at some time, many people have not had preparation or education for handling grief and coping with loss. Due to this, many people are also not equipped to support family members and friends who have experienced a loss or bereavement. 

What is grief?

Grief is the name we give for the response to loss, which can occur at any age, with any gender and within any cultural belief system (eg. religion).Grief can be extreme when we experience loss of meaningful relationships (divorce, seperation) and loved ones (death). We may also grieve a loss of health, capability, home, employment and lifestyle. 

There is no right or wrong way to grieve

When there is loss, there is no hierarchy to how much 'worse' one person's experience is over another. Grief is subjective and pain is pain.We grieve as we live. If you are an expressive and emotional person, your grief might be expressive too. Those who don't show feelings openly may appear to be 'coping' when actually they are deeply feeling the loss on the inside.Problems come about when we or people in our lives put expectations and rules around the way we 'should' grieve or 'cope.' Forcing someone to behave in a way that is mor comfortable for you, is not helpful in healing the pain. 

Counselling for Grief

Counselling is a professional service that supports people to develop better understanding of themselves and others, address life difficulties and make the changes they want in their lives.Working with a trained therapist can assist you to come to terms with your loss, and live a meaningful life without that which is gone.  Try it with Hollie

Hollie provides Grief Therapy for individuals in Braidwood and online. Phone 0482 955 340 to discuss.