Grief and Loss

We all experience grief and loss.

It’s built into the human experience.

Grief is the emotional suffering and distress that people experience when they lose something or someone important to them. As a result, Grief and Loss often appear as part of a full life.

There are many kinds of losses, including loss of loved ones or someone important to us, a pet, health, parts of ourselves, a dream, community, an ideal, self-esteem, or a job. I could go on and on because there are so many different kinds of losses and so many other ways each person needs to grieve.

There are periods when loss and grief may dominate your days, and periods when they are more of a shadow, if they are there at all.

Grief and loss are part of our journey.

This poignant statement speaks to the essence of grief, reminding us that loving deeply opens us up to profound loss. To love deeply is to be vulnerable to a profound loss when that relationship ends. It’s important to remember that being capable of deep love is a profound human gift.

As we move through our journey of life, we inevitably encounter grief in various forms, each uniquely shaped by our experiences and relationships.

Some of the other forms of grief can also bring us to our knees. For example, the loss of a dream that seems to have passed us by or the loss of a job can require a profound rethinking of our perspective on who we think we are. Often, deep introspection is part of the process of working through the losses.

Grief from loss can be complicated to navigate.

Some of us experience grief at a younger age. This can be especially traumatic when a young person doesn’t have the tools or perspective to understand it and know how to move through it. Often, these earlier losses are still waiting to be fully processed.

But at any age, a person may be overwhelmed by feelings and not know how to move through these feelings of loss to get to a place of increased peace and acceptance.

Finding peace and acceptance is a process and differs for each person.

It’s easy to become derailed or stuck in grief.

The stages of grief and loss, as defined by Dr. Kübler-Ross, are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. People may go through all or only one or two of these stages and get stuck in any of them. In each of these stages, the feelings can be powerful. This speaks again of the differences in each person’s experience of grief.

People can get stuck in questioning why and how this loss could happen. They may ask themselves the ‘if only’ questions: “If only someone had told me. If only I had done something different.” These are questions that can often keep a person stuck in a cycle of more pain.

We can’t change the past. We can only go forward with more awareness and with lots of compassion.

This is hard work, but the rewards are enormous when a person dares to feel their feelings and to acknowledge their pain.

Grief is like the relentless ocean.

It cannot be halted. However, we can learn to navigate its currents. This requires active coping and taking intentional steps to confront and process our emotions rather than avoiding them.

Time alone does not heal all wounds, so giving it time may not allow for the healing you want.

Instead, our actions, the support we seek, and the way we engage with our feelings facilitate healing.

Friends and family can be invaluable, but having someone in your corner who understands the grieving process can make a big difference.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

I am here to support you. I’ve gone through this process with many clients and know that you can move to a stage of increasing ease, comfort, and acceptance. You deserve as much support as possible to move forward.

This metaphor of blossoming above speaks to the transformative power of grief and loss. While painful, this experience can lead to growth, understanding, and resilience. Just as a flower must brave the elements to bloom, we must confront our grief to emerge stronger.

Call me for a free consultation or to make an appointment. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have as we use this opportunity to get to know each other.