Getting back to and being in the “the land of the living” can take time. The experience of loss is common to all and unique to each. Bereavement refers to the process of recovering from the death of a loved one, and grief is a reaction for any form of loss. Both encompass a wide range of emotions such as fear, anger and deep, deep sadness and can be a complex web to sort through. To add to the confusion is Ambiguous Loss, a pair of possibilities: the person is physically present but psychology absent/emotionally unavailable; or physically absent but emotionally present. This is often the experience of families with a “workaholic” parent or partner.
The process of adapting to a loss can dramatically change from person to person, depending on their social and cultural background, beliefs systems, relationship to the person who’s passed or the event causing the loss, and multiple other factors.
Common symptoms of grief can be physical, emotional or social.
A few common symptoms in these categories are:
Physical
- Crying and sighing
- Headaches
- Loss of appetite or eating a lot more than ya need
- Difficulty sleeping – too much or too little
- Weakness
- Fatigue
Emotional
- Feelings of sadness and yearning
- Feelings of worry or anger, or fear
- Feelings of frustration or guilt
Social
- Feeling detached from others
- Self-isolation from social contact
- Behaving in ways that are not normal for you
Every grieving and bereavement experience is different. A person may be able to continue their day-to-day routine after one loss, yet not be able to get out of bed after the loss of someone else. Whatever your personal symptoms are, grief and bereavement counseling have been proven to help.
If you are experiencing grief-related thoughts, behaviors, or feelings that are distressing, please contact me today for a free 10-minute consultation.