Grief is a psychological process that occurs after a loss, abandonment, absence or death of a loved one. It is a wound and, as such, requires time and care to heal. Within this process there are five phases: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. However, each person's grief is different and not everyone goes through all the defined phases.
Here we would like to present a series of tips on how to cope with grief. It is important to adapt these tips to personal situations and to reflect on which of them can help us.
Allow yourself to experience the pain
The grieving process is accompanied by pain, anger and sadness and, although it is a natural stage, many people refuse to feel these emotions by repressing them. It is essential that we allow ourselves to express and react to what we are feeling in order for grief to follow its natural process.
We should avoid feeling guilty and accept the situation itself and the associated emotions. We should also be patient and not try to speed up the process or judge ourselves negatively if the process takes longer than expected or because the feelings are still intense after a while.
Speak up and share your situation
During bereavement, avoid isolating yourself and try to open up to other people. Talking and sharing your emotions with friends and family will help to lighten the pain and ease the sadness. TREC also recommends talking to those with whom you share the loss. In these conversations you can relive memories, experiences and anecdotes and look back with a more positive approach.
Support between loved ones is an important aspect of facilitating the grieving process. However, each person has his or her own tempo and cannot be compared to others.
If you do not have people close by to share your experience with, or if you cannot communicate with them as often as you need to, it is recommended that you use creative techniques to express yourself. These techniques may include writing or painting, or even speaking out loud.
Take care
The emotions experienced during bereavement are often quite intense and consume some of our energy and neglect our self-care. Remember to eat well every day, stay hydrated, get enough sleep, shower and groom yourself. Sport and an active lifestyle will also be essential to take care of yourself and will have a positive influence on your emotional state.
Grief is a painful experience that takes time to overcome, even so, there are processes that require psychological and professional support. If you think this could be your case, do not hesitate to contact TREC. Together we will find the way.