Are you confronting grief and loss and feeling overwhelmed by it?

When you experience any type of loss, the normal response is a period of mourning, also known as “grief.” Grief isn’t specific to human death, on the contrary it often establishes after a significant loss, for example a redundancy, divorce or breakup, a recently diagnosed illness, pet bereavement, financial troubles or natural disaster to name a few.

Although we know that change is inevitable, it is often harder to experience. Sometimes we can control when change happens and sometimes, we can’t. Sometimes we can control our response and sometimes we can’t. Change can be pleasant and welcome however sometimes it can be uncomfortable and uncertain, and it hurts.

There is no hard and fast rule as to how long it will take to get over a bereavement or loss. There’s no need to feel guilty about how you feel either. Each bereavement is different and as a result your experience may be different each time.

No matter your usual personality, being able to reach out to those close to you during times of grief is critical. Humans are social creatures, made to work through difficult times with others together – the same way we celebrate happier things.

It is normal early on in the grieving process to want some time alone. Having some personal time to try to assemble the million thoughts racing through your mind can be useful. However, attempting to deal with your grief on your own, can lead to a harmful build-up of tension and emotion or maladaptive strategies.

If you’d prefer to grieve privately you may want to seek out a professional who can support you as you move through your grieving process.

Seeing a professional can help you understand your reaction to your loss and help you process your feelings so that you can heal your grief.