Emotional and Mental
What Do We Need During Grief?
You will need time alone and with others whom you trust who will listen when you need to talk. You will need these experiences to feel and understand the feelings that go along with loss.
Hot baths, afternoon naps, a trip, a “cause” to work for or to help others - any of these may give you a lift. Grief is an exhausting process emotionally. You need to replenish yourself. Do the things that feel healing to you and connect you to the people and things in your life.
Try to reduce or find solutions for any unnecessary stress in your life. Allow yourself to be close to those you trust. Getting back into a routine may help. You may need to affirm your need to do things at your own pace.
Find hope and comfort from those who have experienced a similar loss. You can learn from the things that have helped them. Realizing that they have recovered may give you hope that sometime in the near future your grief will be less painful.
Try to allow yourself to accept the expressions of caring from others even though it may be uneasy and awkward. Helping a friend or relative also suffering the same loss may enable you to support each other.
For a while, it may seem like much of life is without meaning. At times like these, smaller goals are helpful. Something to look forward to, like playing tennis with a friend next week, a movie tomorrow night, or a trip next month, helps you get through to the future. Live one day at a time. At first, don’t be surprised if your enjoyment of these things isn’t the same. This is normal. As time passes you can move to longer range goals that give you more structure and direction to your life. You may need guidance or counseling to help with this.
Do not underestimate the healing effects of small pleasures as you are ready. Watching a sunset or a walk in the park may help remind you of the inherent pleasures in life itself.
Pastoral care can help you find and utilize inner sources of strength and to nurture spiritual wholeness amidst your loss and painful feelings.
Grief is a natural process of mourning the loss of a loved one. If it becomes overwhelming, it may be time to seek counseling. Best Care Employee Assistance counselors are available 24 hours a day/7 days a week to assist you in your time of need.
For more information on how to cope following trauma, give Best Care EAP a call. Counselors are ready to help.