GRIEF COUNSELING
I felt as if I were lost in a desolate, unknown place with no navigation tool to help me find my way. By the death of that one person who had given up on life. Is this a nightmare or a reality? I have the sensation of switching between two streams of consciousness. I wish I could go back in time and reset everything; this can’t be true, and God can’t be so cruel. What happened to me, and what will I do now?
Losing a loved one is one of life’s most difficult experiences. Grief is a natural response to death (bereavement) or other significant losses in life, such as the end of a relationship. Grief affects everyone differently. Grief can manifest itself in a variety of ways and follow us around unknowingly throughout our lives. It’s isolating, draining, and difficult to comprehend. The mysteries of “Why did it happen,” “Did I do anything wrong,” “How could I have prevented it,” and “Life appears to have taken vengeance on me” are just a few of the natural mental negotiations that run through one’s mind like a tape.
SYMPTOMS OF GRIEF
Grievers are subjected to a wide range of emotions. Many of the symptoms of grief are present in our daily lives in milder forms, especially during times of high stress. Grief symptoms are unpleasant to experience, and you may want to ignore them. They are, however, a natural reaction to loss, and you should be kind to yourself as you progress through the stages of grief.
Grief differs from stress in that it is brought on by a significant loss rather than by difficulties or challenges on their own. Grief is also distinct in that grievers may encounter things that are unfamiliar to them.
This feeling of being in the dark can be disorienting. It makes it more difficult to recognize the symptoms as a grief response, as well as to work through them. This means you could be experiencing grief symptoms without even realizing it. Much of what we refer to as stress, overwhelm, or simply feeling down is, at its core, grief.
This is partly due to the fact that grief and bereavement have long been associated with death in our society. When you look at what causes grief, you’ll notice that there are a lot of things that can cause a sense of loss followed by grief.
In many ways, the grieving process has an impact on our physical and emotional health. When your brain is working overtime to cope with grief, it has less energy to focus on keeping your body healthy, particularly if you have underlying or old injuries
Physical and Emotional symptoms of normal grief
Physical Symptoms:
- Lack of energy and lethargy
- It may be difficult to find Interest and motivation.
- Sleep disruption, difficulty falling asleep, sleeping more, and insomnia are all examples of changes in sleep patterns.
- Weight loss or gain that is unintended or unwanted
- Hormone-related changes, changes in eating habits, or changes in cravings (that might be triggered by sleep disruption)
- Susceptibility to illness is increased.
- Due to your brain’s focus on emotional healing, you may pay less attention and interest to healthy behaviors, and your immune system may work less effectively.
- Recurrence of previous injuries.
Emotional Symptoms:
- Temporary loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities
- Numbness, shock, sadness, despair, fear, and guilt are all emotions that people experience.
- Reduced self-esteem and confidence
- Anxiety spikes for a while
- Feeling of being out of control
- Changes in one’s stress capacity and ability
- Changes in interpersonal relationships due to a lack of focus at work.
If your sadness, anxiety, or depression persists without relief for an extended period of time, or if it has a significant impact on your ability to function in the world, you should seek professional help. The following are some things to keep an eye out for:
- Not being able to get out of bed.
- Filled with a deep sense of hopelessness.
- Irritability that won’t go away.
- Complete dissatisfaction with things that used to bring you great pleasure.
- Suicidal ideation.
- Self-isolation Sleep disturbance that does not improve with time.
- Lack of ability to work.
STAGES OF GRIEF
As you come to terms with your loss, your emotions may come in waves. You can’t stop the process, but understanding why you’re feeling that way can help. Grief affects everyone differently. You may have heard of the stages of grief, which are no longer considered the best way to think about grief.
It’s natural to think to yourself, “This isn’t happening,” when you first learn of a loss. You might be startled or numb. This is a temporary solution to the rush of intense emotion. It’s a form of self-defense
As the reality of your loss sinks in, you become enraged. You may feel helpless and frustrated. Anger develops from these feelings. You could direct it at other people, a higher power, or life as a whole. It’s natural to be angry with a loved one who has died and left you alone
At this point, you’re thinking about what you could have done differently to avoid the loss. “If only…” and “What if…” are common thoughts. You could also try to reach an agreement with a higher power
Sadness sets in as you realise the magnitude of the loss and its impact on your life. Crying, sleep problems, and a loss of appetite are all symptoms of depression. You might feel helpless, remorseful, and lonely
You accept the reality of your loss in this final stage of grief. It is unchangeable. Even though you’re still sad, you can begin to move on with your life
Is Grief Counseling Effective? What Is It and how it works?
Grief is a strong feeling. The sadness that comes with losing someone you care about can be overwhelming. Humans are social creatures who form strong and lasting bonds with one another. Although the loss of a loved one is undoubtedly one of the most difficult experiences we will have in life, we can still move forward. You can rediscover a life full of joy if you’re willing to take the necessary steps.
What can you expect from Grief Counseling?
It’s a good idea to learn about therapy. When we think of therapy, we often think of the TV stereotype of uncomfortable couches and scratching pens. However, many people who receive grief counseling report that their mental health symptoms, such as long-term depression, have improved. Additionally, participating in grief therapy can help you better understand the stages of grief and loss, which will help you connect with your emotions, thoughts, and feelings in other areas of your life
You must take the first step if you want to join the millions of people who have found peace through grief counseling therapy sessions and support groups. By moving through the stages of grief and loss, you owe it to yourself to do everything you can to achieve the happiness you deserve. It’s important to remember that grief counseling and grief support groups can be extremely beneficial in assisting you in finding meaning.
Behavioral health grief counselors can help you work through the stages of complicated grief. Grief therapy won’t solve every problem related to your traumatic loss – but it can help you work through the stages of complicated grief. While your time in grief counseling may have far-reaching consequences, there are some things that bereavement counseling cannot accomplish.
- It will not make you forget about the person who has passed away.
- It will not enable you to avoid the pain of loss.
- It won’t change who you are at your core.
Grief counseling is a type of therapy that aims to help people who have lost a loved one find meaning and progress through the stages of grief so that they can begin to heal. Grief counselors study the stages of grief and learn techniques for assisting people in moving through each stage in a healthy manner while grieving the loss of a loved one. Grief counseling has a number of objectives. It’s important to keep in touch with your therapist in order to make problem-solving simple and accurate.
Grief doesn’t always come as a sledgehammer. After a major loss, you may feel nothing. You may go on as if nothing has happened. You may feel disconnected from the source of your emotions, even if you’re overwhelmed by them. As a result, the first task of grieving, and thus the first goal of grief counseling, is to assist you in fully comprehending that you have suffered a significant loss
Before you and your behavioral health provider decide on a treatment approach to begin dealing with grief during the grieving process, your counselor must first assist you in identifying the traumatic aspects of your experience. These could include witnessing your loved one’s death and dying, seeing the dead body, or other events surrounding their death. Once you’ve identified those feelings, you can describe them, talk about them, and your grief counselor can help you move on to the task of grieving a loved one’s death
A grief counselor can provide an outlet for you if you don’t have anyone to talk to about your loss. You might find it helpful to talk to grief counselors or bereavement groups about your problems. People find that participating in bereavement groups or loss counseling helps them cope with the symptoms of grief and loss. If you’re grieving in a fishbowl, with friends and family judging your every move, you might need someone like your behavioral health counselor to talk to about your personal feelings without fear of saying something inappropriate. It can be a huge relief to express your thoughts and feelings about your relationship with your loved one, and it can help you get back on track after a loss
Perhaps the pain of the loss you’ve just suffered hasn’t yet hit you. Some people may experience their feelings about the loss months or even years after it has occurred. Meanwhile, they continue to feel numb and detached. Others are overwhelmed by a jumble of emotions that they can’t make sense of. One of the goals of counseling and grief sessions is to express normal grief emotions in whatever way is most comfortable for you
Guilt is not a healthy emotion to hold on to in most cases. When a partner is dealing with traumatic grief, holding on to guilt can cause relationship problems. However, according to death studies, many people feel guilty for things they said or did, or for things they didn’t say or do, before their loved one died. To avoid serious relationship problems, drug abuse patterns, or other negative coping strategies like alcohol abuse, it’s critical to identify guilt feelings during counseling and grief sessions. These negative grieving patterns are frequently the result of dealing with difficult grief.
As you grieve for a deceased loved one, sessions with your mental health grief counselors and attendance at support groups can help you see the futility of smothering yourself with should-haves and shouldn’t-haves.
In the United States, mental health grief counselors assist individuals in finding more constructive ways to deal with the reality that no relationship is perfect. Support groups or sessions with mental health grief counselors can help you reconnect with yourself and your surviving family members.
When someone close to you (especially a family member) passes away, your life changes because you realize you won’t be able to share happy memories with them again. And because you shared almost every waking moment, your entire daily life could be in upheaval.
Your life will change without your loved one, and with that change will come additional losses, such as the loss of a morning routine. Grief counseling can assist you in examining those changes and discovering new ways of living
When a traumatic loss isn’t handled properly, this can happen. Complicated grief occurs when a person becomes stuck in the grieving process or skips it entirely. People who are going through complicated grief have a hard time dealing with it, and as a result, they may lose touch with themselves and their surroundings. Drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and other related substance abuse can be negative mental health symptoms of complicated grief
If the person you lost was your primary support system, you’ll most likely need to re-establish your support system in order to function on a daily basis. When a spouse dies, you may find yourself having to take on tasks that you previously delegated to them. You may now be required to file insurance documents, manage a budget, or perform cooking and housekeeping tasks that you have never done before. After your counselor assists you in locating community resources and encourages you to strengthen community ties, this goes much more smoothly