Mental HealthHow To Cope With Grief

In the profession of clinical psychologists, it is a natural scenario of seeing people experiencing or undergoing a sense of feeling of grief. A psychologist has a crucial role in how an individual will be able to identify the causes of his grief and eventually cope with the tragic loss and grief.

The discussion about grief may be vague, especially that it involves multifaceted factors. To easily understand grief, we will have it tackled in capsulized topics such as the following: understanding grief, its causes, stages, and symptoms and link it to the appropriate study of psychology; answer to the common myths about grief; insights that will help an individual to cope with his grief. Those capsulized topics will be discussed in detail for a better understanding of the word grief.

For professional help on coping with grief, you can take online therapy from talkspace or betterhelp as well.

Understanding about grief

To put it simply, the feeling of “grief” is a natural response of every person once he loses the person, thing, profession, or anything that is being held valuable or loved by the person. Such a state of being in “grief” may affect the person’s interpersonal relationship, and it may be in a short period, or for some, it may last for a longer period of time. It is physically manifested by numbness, disorientation, and denial.

Oftentimes we associate the word “grief” for the demise of the person that we love; however, there are different factors that may trigger the feeling of “grief,” such as losing one’s job and profession, miscarriage, undergoing divorce and separation, children going to college, loss of bodily function and there are other analogous cases that will clearly indicate that grief is not only being felt from the demise of the person that we love.

Symptoms of grief

There are numerous symptoms exhibited by the person experiencing grief. These symptoms could be emotional symptoms, mental symptoms, physical symptoms, and behavioral as well as social symptoms. Let us zoom in on each symptom to get a clearer perspective about the type of symptom that the person is exhibiting.

Emotional symptom

The emotional symptoms vary, and it entirely depends on the person experiencing grief. They may exhibit an emotional state of confusion, anger towards the person who is the primary cause of the loss. It can be a sense of having a “guilt feeling” for some things that were not done, extreme loneliness, and fear, and anxiety.

These emotional symptoms may be exhibited by the person grieving, and it is understandable. It may last for a number of days or months. It entirely depends on the person on how he handles and copes with the loss.

Mental symptoms

The mental symptoms have varied types as the emotional symptoms for an individual may experience rumination or a state of analyzing the mistakes done and ways to undo them. A person may exhibit the symptom of worrying, especially on living a life without the person he or she loves. It may also lead the person to fantasize about the moment that he or she with the person, thing, or job that was lost.

Physical symptoms

Commonly a person experiencing exhibited physical symptoms such as body fatigue and aches. For some, they gain physical weight, or it may be weight loss.

Social and behavioral symptoms

When the person is in a state of grief, he or she is also experiencing difficulty in sleeping. This is being referred to as a medical condition of insomnia.

The interpersonal relationship and social relationships are being affected, for one tends to self-isolate and avoids the activities used to be engaged into before the uneventful had happened. This may be due to lack or low motivation to proceed with his or her life after the loss.

Commonalities of grief and depression

The words grief and depression may signify the same meanings as it boils down on severe sadness or devoid of any happiness. And if the conditions are severe, you may be the victim of ADHD. ADHD is an Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder that is most common in children, but adults can also suffer from this. According to the experts at https://synergymentalwellness.com/adhd-add/ , Over 16 million adults in the United States have experienced the symptoms of ADHD at some point since childhood.

Though there may be some distinct causes and symptoms between grief and depression, ultimately, the person undergoing depression has a suicidal tendency. The inability to continue with one’s endeavors is not the same with the person experiencing grief.

But there is a possibility that a person may experience depression during the state of being in “grief.” If it occurs or you may think that the person is exhibiting both symptoms of grief and depression, it is better to set an appointment with a therapist or a counselor.

Different stages of grief

The book that has been published in 1969 was written by a psychiatrist Elizabeth Kubler-Ross entitled “On Death and Dying,”  where she introduced the five stages of grief model. These five stages are the common stages that the person in grief will pass through;

Denial Stage

When a painful event happens, the mind or the brain tries to convince itself that it is unreal or happening. This is the state wherein there is a “denial” of reality.

Stage of frustration and anger

Once the reality sinks into the senses of the person, it will be replaced by frustration and anger. The anger may be directed to some figures which the person thought to be responsible for the loss.

Bargaining Stage

The person is having a glimpse of hope for a better outcome of the situation and may resort to bargaining. Usually, it is being directed towards the creator.

Stage of depression

Severe sadness and despair creep into the senses of the person as he or she isolates himself or herself from society.  It may be a critical stage of which an individual must overcome through counseling.

Acceptance

If the four stages are successfully hurdled and overcome, the person will come to the last stage: acceptance. The person will eventually need to let go and accept that the loss is just part of the cycle of life. For every beginning, there is an end. For every opportunity, there will be a corresponding loss. Losing someone or something is painful, but the only way to go on with life is to accept the basic reality that everything has an end.

This post has been sponsored by Liraz Postan