Grief is the process of coming to terms with a loss. Many people associate bereavement with mourning: the process of grieving the loss of a loved one. However, you can grieve any kind of loss. This can include the death of a pet, the loss of a beloved career, the diagnosis of a serious illness in you or a loved one, or the end of a friendship or relationship. People may also experience grief as they are going through a difficult period in their lives. One of the most common misconceptions among people is that grief is limited to sadness. However, in reality a person experiencing grief undergoes a range of emotions such as guilt, yearning, anger, and regret. Grieving behaviors also have a wide range. Some people find comfort in sharing their feelings among company. Other people may prefer to be alone with their feelings, engaging in silent activities like exercising or writing. Everybody grieves differently and at their own pace. Some people recover from grief and resume normal activities within six months, though they continue to feel moments of sadness. Others may feel better after about a year. No matter how long it takes you to mourn a loved one, grief counseling will assist you in navigating one of life’s most difficult moments.
WHAT IS GRIEF COUNSELLING?
Before we go into the depths about why you should visit a mental health practitioner for grief counselling, it is very important to understand what grief counselling actually is. Grief counselling, also known as bereavement counselling, is intended to assist individuals in coping with the loss of a loved one. A grief counsellor will assist you in developing coping mechanisms and techniques for your loss and grief. Grief therapy allows bereaved people to talk about their thoughts and emotions, as well as find ways to make the mourning process easier.
BENEFITS OF GRIEF COUNSELLING
- A grief counselor or grief therapist will help you identify, express, and productively manage all of the emotions you are feeling. For example, you may find yourself feeling profound anxiety or experiencing panic attacks; a grief counselor can aid in anxiety management.
- Grief Counselling helps you to identify coping mechanisms. A good grief counsellor will assist you in identifying your personal coping strategies and replacing dysfunctional ones (such as drug abuse) with safe ones (like exercise). They will assist you in identifying support networks and services that you can use in your own life.
- Grief counselors can also help you deal with grief issues specific to your particular grief situation. For example, if you are a spiritual or religious person, you may find yourself questioning your beliefs or feeling angry with higher powers. A grief counselor can help with your spiritual struggles.
- Grief therapy approaches assist the griever in coming to terms with the loss’s effects as well as the loss itself. Since a big loss will alter your personality, you may find yourself grieving your former self in addition to the loss. A loss may also result in a significant shift in your financial condition or plans. Usually, a grief counsellor will link you with other services you may need.
- Grief counselors can help you set manageable goals in your life and create schedules that help keep you moving forward and returning to regular tasks, but provide enough allowance for you to manage your grief.
- A grief counselor will help you manage any setbacks in the grieving process and reassure you that what you are going through is normal.
- It will help you to find comfort in positive memories without being overcome by a sense of loss
- The benefit of grief therapy is that you have complete control over the procedure. The causes for your sadness may be prioritized in your mind as you go through the mourning process. Although you will not forget them, you will be able to make your own decisions over time. It’s possible that you’ll know that your personal and professional lives will continue to exist. A grief counsellor will assist you through this difficult time.
- There isn’t a set schedule for grief counseling. You can grieve in your own ways and in your own time. A grief therapist will work through you during each stage, walking this path right beside you. You can grieve freely and receive advice on how to better work through issues as they arise, one by one
- You don’t want to forget your loved one, and you don’t have to. But it is natural to want to reach the stage where your focus shifts from pain and grief to the good memories and legacies our loved ones left behind. You may recognize that it is a good thing to be able to replace your negative emotions during the grieving process with more sustainable and happy ones. In grief counseling, you can work through worksheets and other items to assess your grief levels. Having someone to talk to can make things a lot easier to process.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to grieving; everybody responds differently to loss and grieves in their own unique way. Grief has no set time limit; it could take months or years to overcome it. Nonetheless, with the aid of a strong social support network and healthy coping skills and assistance of a grief counsellor, most people can recover from loss. Grief therapy offers the requisite help for those who are going through a difficult time.
