12 May Grief and Loss: How to Move Forward

Grief takes many forms and involves many strong emotions – some of them painful.

You have suffered a loss so deep that you can barely breathe much less find the words to explain or describe your feelings, even to yourself. You can’t imagine life going forward when it’s hard to find the energy just get through the day. And on the days you do feel better, you feel guilty – how can you possibly think about pleasure at a time like this?

There is no right or wrong way to deal with grief

One minute you are diving into your feelings and the next you are putting on your brave face.
While there is no right or wrong way to grieve, there are some things you can do to protect your emotional and physical health.

Take Care of Yourself. It’s OK to feel sad, lonely and angry. You are grieving so don’t try to push down your emotions. In fact, you can use these emotions to help you connect with a lost loved one in new ways – through a journal, scrapbook or other activity that has meaning. And don’t let others tell you how you should be feeling or acting. This is your loss and your grief.

The sight of food may make you ill. You may be bone tired but keep pushing off sleep because you hate waking up to face your loss. Your physical health is important. A healthy body can help you feel more emotionally healthy. Even if you don’t want to, try to eat healthy and rest when you are tired.

Get Support. You want to be around people at the same time you want to be alone. You like the idea of support, but you’ve never been one to talk about your feelings with others. Talking about your feelings with others can help. Don’t think you need to go it alone.
Reach out to your family, friends and members of your faith. Let them know how they can help. If you feel better talking with others who have had a loss similar to yours, sharing your feelings in a group setting may give you the comfort you seek.

You also may want to seek the help of a mental health professional with experience in grief counseling.

Choices Psychotherapy Is Ready to Help

At Choices Psychotherapy, we understand that difficult feelings and emotions are a part of the loss and that talking about them to someone you trust is an important part of the healing process. We will listen and help you find ways to cope with your loss while helping you find renewed meaning through individual, group or family counseling.
Our goal at Choices is empowerment through choice. If you are struggling with overwhelming grief or just want someone to talk to about your loss and your emotional pain, Choices is ready to help.
For information about how Choices can help you or to make an appointment, get in touch with us today.