Loss is something we all encounter at some point in our lives. The loss of a loved one, a friend, losing a person you thought would be yours forever are all forms of loss.
People we lose, while we may never see them again, they make a difference in our lives.
No matter how much time passes, we will never forget the way they made us feel, the fire they left in our hearts.
Whatever type of loss you’ve suffered, there’s no right or wrong way to grieve.
Grief is a natural response to loss; it’s that aching you feel when someone or something you love is taken away from you. The pain of loss can be overwhelming and insufferable.
Grief may cause you to experience many different difficult emotions, ranging from anger, shock, guilt, disbelief, profound sadness. The pain that grief causes can often disrupt not only your mental health, but your physical health, too, making it difficult to sleep, eat or even think straight. These are all normal reactions to loss—and the more significant the loss, the more intense your grief will be.
Coping with the loss of someone or something you love is one of the biggest challenges we face in life. While many associate grief with the death of a loved one, any loss can cause grief, including:
- Divorce or relationship breakup
- Loss of health
- Losing a job
- Losing your financial stability
- A miscarriage
- Retirement
- Death of a pet
- Loss of a dream
- Loss of safety after a traumatic event
- Loss of a friendship
Even subtle losses in life can trigger a sense of grief. For example, you might grieve after moving away from home, graduating from college, or changing jobs.
Whatever your loss is, it’s personal to you, and you should never feel ashamed for feeling the way you do; even if others may see it as a subtle loss, if something is significant to you, you are allowed to grieve in any way you see fit.
Some ways to deal with the grieving process are acknowledging your pain, accepting that you may feel various unexpected, difficult emotions, that you are the only person who can decide your grief process, seeking out support from those who care about you, and supporting yourself emotionally and physically.
There are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Each of these stages comes with naturally overwhelmingly difficult emotions. Not everyone goes through these stages, and that’s okay; whatever helps you during your loss is completely acceptable.
When dealing with these emotions, remember that nothing is truly lost. The people you have met, the experiences you have had live on in your memories and your heart. They are forever a part of you. They made you the person you are today and changed you into someone you would have never been otherwise, someone who is stronger than ever before.
You’ll heal in time.
