Grief and Loss

 

When you experience a big loss, you may experience many things:

 

Feelings of fear, anxiety, sadness, longing, yearning, guilt, regret and anger about the loss.

 

Confusing feelings, like a sense of meaninglessness, or a sense of relief.

 

Bouncing between different thoughts and feelings: from, “there’s nothing I can do about it” to “it’s my fault, I could have done more” or from “she had a good life” to “it wasn’t her time.”

 

Surprising behaviors, from crying to laughter, and from sharing feelings to engaging silently in activities like cleaning, writing, or exercising.

 

Preoccupation with the deceased or with the circumstances surrounding the death or avoidance of reminders of the deceased.

 

Feelings of emptiness or meaninglessness.

 

Difficulty engaging in happy memories.

 

Lack of desire in pursuing personal interests or plans.

 

It can be hard to talk about your grief, and often even well meaning friends say hurtful things. In therapy, you can share ALL of your thoughts and feelings, explore the lost relationship, and make sense of the big life questions grief brings up.