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  • Grief & Bereavement Counseling

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    Grief is normal and natural response to loss. At times we can feel overwhelmed with emotions and talking to another helps to process these feelings.

    Everyone experiences grief, the symptoms of grief are often misunderstood by both the person going through it and those around you.

    Grief affects us emotionally, physically and mentally, and occurs with life changes as well.

    Common Feelings

    • agitation, anger, anxiety, apathy, betrayal, despair, disbelief, emptiness, fear, guilt, helplessness, impatience, isolation, loneliness, numbness, powerlessness, relief, sadness, shame, shock, strength, thankfulness, uncertainty, uselessness, weakness.

    Common mental reactions

    • difficulties concentrating
    • continuously thinking about the loss
    • difficulty making decisions
    • low self-esteem
    • believing your responsible for the loss
    • increased/decreased dreams
    • thinking everyone is watching you
    • self-destructive thoughts

    Common physical reactions to grief

    • sleeping changes
    • weight and appetite changes
    • tiredness
    • deep sighing
    • feeling weak
    • energized: feeling strong/invincible
    • muscle tension
    • headaches, stomach aches
    • easily shaken by certain sights and sounds

    Common Spiritual Reactions to Grief

    • feeling lost and empty
    • feeling abandoned
    • questioning the reason to go on living
    • feeling like you don’t belong

    Common behaviours and Social Interactions

    • trying to stay constantly active
    • overachieving/underachieving
    • changes in work performance
    • crying a lot
    • blaming others
    • not caring about things
    • dropping out of social activities
    • pulling away from others.

    Bereavement and grief aren’t light-hearted topics. Bereavement refers to the process of recovering from the death of a loved one, and grief is a reaction for any form of loss. Both encompass a wide range of emotions such as fear, anger and deep, deep sadness.

    The process of adapting to a loss can dramatically change from person to person, depending on his or her background, beliefs, relationship to the person who’s passed, and other factors.

    Common symptoms of grief can be physical, emotional or social.

    A few common symptoms in these categories are:

    Physical

    • Crying and sighing
    • Headaches
    • Loss of appetite
    • Difficulty sleeping
    • Weakness
    • Fatigue

    Emotional

    • Feelings of sadness and yearning
    • Feelings of worry or anger
    • Feelings of frustration or guilt

    Social

    • Feeling detached from others
    • Self-isolation from social contact
    • Behaving in ways that are not normal for you

    Every grieving experience is different. A person may be able to continue their day-to-day routine after one loss, yet not be able to get out of bed after the loss of someone else. Whatever your personal symptoms are, grief and bereavement counseling have been proven to help.

    If you are experiencing grief-related thoughts, behaviors, or feelings that are distressing, please contact me today for a free consultation

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