The empty feeling in your heart, the sense of hopelessness and loss, and perhaps a tinge of guilt or resentment—grief takes form in many ways, and almost all of them leave you feeling like you aren’t yourself anymore. It is a natural response to losing someone close to you, such as a friend or family member. However, it’s normal to feel grief in scenarios other than the passing of your loved one.
It’s important to work through it in a healthy manner and get proper grief counseling lest it takes over your life. Here are some scenarios where you might feel experience it:
Death of a loved one
This is one of the most common events following which a person might feel grief. The pain of losing someone you love forever, knowing you can never see or hear from them again, can become unbearable. Sometimes, the idea of not having that person in your life anymore can be impossible to accept, and some people keep believing that they’re still around in order to cope. It is even harder to overcome when you’re mourning the loss of an adult child that you lost to addiction or overdose.
A larger challenge is when you’re struggling to work through your loss for a loved one that has been abusive to you in the past. It can get confusing when you want to mourn the loss, the absence of your loved one, but are somehow feeling relieved that you no longer have to put up with abusive patterns.
Separation or divorce
When you get together with your partner, you’ve imagined spending an entire lifetime with them. The term ‘life partner’ exists for a reason, and suddenly being torn away from your person can be extremely painful. Not only are you dealing with the loss of this person from your life, you also have to deal with the pain of letting go of all your future plans with them and completely changing your life trajectory. Things can be even more difficult if you have children with them since you’ll never be able to cut them out to forget and move on.
Having a child with a mental illness, disability, or terminal illness
Every parent wants the very best for their child. Your child is the product of your and your partner’s love, the best versions of you coming together to create a miracle in the flesh. However, if your child is facing a severe illness, whether it be mental or physical, it can feel terrible. It’s difficult enough to see someone you love to be in pain, even more so when it’s your own child. There’s also the chance that they will never be able to live a normal life or that their life is short-lived, and you might feel guilt and loss at the knowledge that they will have to struggle.
How to Deal with Grief San Jose 3 Life Experiences
Grief Counseling
Did you recently go through a traumatic event that has left you dealing with grief? Sometimes, we can feel the effects of loss even years after it has happened. It’s never too late to get the right help that you need to start moving forward. At Growth and Change Counseling, we help you deal with grief in healthy ways by providing an empathetic ear and guiding you towards exploring the impact the events that you went through had on you.
We also provide sex addiction treatment, couples counseling, and Christian counseling in Fremont.
Contact us to find out more about our services today!
Resources:
1. https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/complicated-grief/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20360389