22 May Managing Grief and Loss

Managing Grief and Loss: Understanding Grief
You have suffered a loss in your life. You can’t stop crying. You want to stay in bed all day even though you can’t sleep. Food is the last thing on your mind. You want friends and family around you at the same time you want them to go away. You feel lonely in a crowd. When you’re alone, you can pretend nothing has changed. In your deepest thoughts, everything has changed. This is grief.

“Will this pain ever go away?”

Grief is a natural and often painful response to loss. It is a time of intense emotion. You may be thinking you will never be happy again. You compare yourself to others who have had a loss and think what you’re feeling is not normal. Each one of us grieves in our way and in our own time. Almost everything you may feel in the raw, early stages of grief is normal—even moments of joy and laughter.

As time passes, your emotions or physical symptoms may become less intense. You may feel yourself coming to terms with your loss. Then suddenly all the painful emotions you felt come rushing back. There is no set timetable for how long grief should last or set rules for how you should feel. There are healthy ways to cope with the pain of grief.
If you aren’t feeling better over time, or you can’t seem to get through the day, it may be a sign that you need help coping with your grief. You may want to reach out to family, friends, or those within your faith. You also may want to seek the help of a mental health professional with experience in grief counseling. An experienced therapist can help you work through feelings you can’t control and help you with coping techniques that can help you move forward.

Choices Psychotherapy Is Ready to Help

Since our founding in 1993, Choices Psychotherapy has had the privilege of working with many clients who are grieving the loss of a loved one or experiencing other significant loss. We understand that difficult feelings and emotions are a part of the loss and that an important part of the grieving process is grieving. When you are ready, we are here to help.
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 what tomorrow may bring. Choices is ready to help.
For information about how Choices can help you or to make an appointment, get in touch with us today.