By Katie Cassidy, MA, RP
The word grieving usually reminds us of the mourning process that comes after the death of a loved one. The sleepless long nights, crying, isolating, feelings of anger, coping in what ways we know–however or whatever it may look like for you. But what if we began looking at what we are all going through with COVID as a grieving process?
COVID has been, and continues to be, a major loss to each of us. The losses add up: loss of social interaction with family and friends, loss of employment, loss of a business, loss of previous standards of living, loss of childcare, etc. The way we once lived is no longer. It is so important to allow our bodies and minds to grieve these losses.
Compounding the impact of the losses, when we grieve, typically we rely on those around us to support us through the difficult time. But what happens in a pandemic when everyone is in the same boat, and all our glasses only half full? We continue to rely on each other to get through each moment and each day until the day comes that our glasses are all full again.
Here are some important things to remember about grief:
- Grieving is a natural process of acute emotional pain that accompanies loss. It doesn’t need to follow the loss of a person however. It could include the loss of a career, loss of a business, etc.
- Grief indicates to us what we value, love and care about most in our life.
- Grief has stages, and these stages do not need to be followed in a specific order or time frame.
- Grief looks different for everybody. What works for you, may not work for someone else.
- Judging someone for how they are grieving is one of the fastest ways to push them away.
- Judging yourself for how you are grieving makes it harder for you to cope.
If you recognize yourself in these words, and want support for your grieving process or any other aspect of COVID coping, call us today to book an appointment.
