Grief and loss are universally felt human experiences and this is something that can touch your life at certain points. Sometimes you may experience the end of a relationship or the death of a loved one. It can be hard to deal with significant loss as this has a lot of overwhelming emotions. You need to give yourself time to navigate through your grief and your method can be different from how others cope.

Not everyone allows themselves to grieve

And deal with the emotions that arise from the loss. Each individual will have a different journey when it comes to navigating grief and there are no right or wrong ways to experience it. Some of the feelings associated with loss are anger, sadness, confusion and sometimes even relief. You need to embrace these emotions so that you can go through the healing process. You may be required to put on a brave face at times but you have to understand that you need to have time and space to mourn. This is a natural part of human experience and it doesn’t make you less of a person to allow yourself to go through this journey. There is no linear process to grief and you will experience a rollercoaster of emotions.

You have to accept that these variations are normal.

Someday you will feel acceptance and be at peace with the situation but you can feel anger or sadness on other days. You have to accept the ups and downs that come with navigating grief. Allow yourself to take the time you need and most of all, you have to be patient with yourself. Learning to be kind to yourself can be another journey that you will need to take if you feel as if your grief should not be considered.  Many people find that talking to somebody can be very supportive. You can reach out to family members and friends. Maybe there are other people that are sharing your grief and it can help to talk to them about what you are feeling and reminisce about the loss of a loved one together. If you feel as if you cannot talk to a person you know, you can consider going to a professional counsellor or a psychologist. You can visit enrichingmindspsychology.com.au to find out how you can make an appointment.

When you speak to a psychologist,

There will be a safe space to express your feelings and they can teach you many coping techniques. There are psychologists that specialise in grief and loss that can help you. In the meantime, you need to take care of yourself. This is done by prioritising your physical and emotional wellbeing. You need to ensure that you eat and sleep well as these critical aspects of your life can be affected by grief. There are self-care activities that you can engage in such as meditation, deep breathing and taking the time to engage in activities that you enjoy.