What Loss Can Look Like and Processing Grief
Grief can be a complicated process that is unique to each person. This process of loss can manifest itself in different ways in our lives. However, misconceptions about this process can affect all human beings. Grieving does not have a time limit, it is not a weakness, it is not just being sad, and it is not something that “you should just get over.” If you are feeling as though you are stuck in this process of grief, here are three things to consider.
What Loss Can Be
Grief is an emotional process that occurs when there is a loss in a person’s life. When the word grief comes to mind, it is often associated with the loss of a loved one or family pet.
There are other forms of grief that at times are overlooked, but are as impactful to our emotional well-being. Overlooked losses can appear as:
The ending of a relationship
Hitting the limit of a career
Unexpected changes in life
The ending of a life goal
Losing a valued memento
One person’s loss is no greater or lesser than another’s because these emotional losses hold great significance in our lives. These different forms of grief can have us feeling stuck or needing time to process them as they were once a large part of our lives. Grief is the loss of someone or something that held immeasurable value to you and is not something you can easily dismiss as it could impact your emotional well-being.
Emotional Self-Check
During the process of grief, we can feel lost in our own emotions, so take some time to
identify your feelings. This action can be short or as long as you need it to be. Grief can have us feel several different emotions all at once which can make life increasingly difficult in processing your loss. Listing through your current emotions one by one can help you navigate through them at your own pace. Which feelings are you resonating with the most at the moment?
Which emotions are you noticing that are not present? Taking moments each day to be conscious of your feelings can be helpful during your grieving process.
What Can Be Done
It is common after a personal loss to feel like you don’t know what you are going to do
next. It can be helpful to visualize what you would like to do going forward with your life.
Creating goals can give directions of what you would like to do next or differently as you are processing your loss. Your goals can be aligned with what you are noticing with your emotions.
For example, if you notice yourself being unhappy, what would happiness look like to you at the moment? If you are feeling lonely, remember to reach out to a friend or a family member to speak with. If you cherished a memory from your loved one, what would it look like to honor their memory going forward? Moving in a direction and creating goals can help you feel less stuck in your process of grief.
Grief is not a phase that one gets over quickly. It is a process that those who experience
loss have to contend with daily. Allow yourself to identify the loss, acknowledge the current emotional state you are in, and outline how you would like to handle it. Consider reaching out to people that you trust to talk about what you are going through when you are ready.
Roubicek & Thacker Counseling is Fresno’s premier provider of individual, couples, family, and group therapy. We offer in-person and online remote therapy sessions. Contact us today to change the way you feel.