Healing from loss: The right kind of support makes all the difference.
"All of us experience loss at some point in our lives - emotional, physical,
financial or otherwise - but it is the strength of our connections with others
that largely helps determine how and when we bounce back.’
‘Psychiatrist Stephen Peterson, chairman of the department of psychiatry
at Washington Hospital Center, in Washington, DC, puts it another way.
"Grief is impossible to do by yourself, because it is so painful. We're social
creatures.’
“If you don't have a strong support system, there are several ways to
create one for yourself: Talk to a therapist who specializes in grief and
loss, attend grief support groups, go to church or synagogue for spiritual
guidance.”
Besides accessing your support system, here are four other helpful things
to do following a loss:
1. Take good care of yourself – eat well, sleep well, put the emotional
needs of others after your own.
2. 2. Educate your friends and family – let your family and friends
know what helps and what does not; only you know how you feel and what
you need.
3. Allow yourself time – remember your grief experience is different
from all others; don’t expect the process of healing to happen overnight.
4. Look for meaning – expect to change and reexamine your life; “Ask
yourself what is important now, and how do I move on?”
A personal note from Susan: Sharing is a good thing. If you would like to
share your healing experience or think you would be comforted by what
others have been through, this message board may be what you are
looking for.
"All of us experience loss at some point in our lives - emotional, physical,
financial or otherwise - but it is the strength of our connections with others
that largely helps determine how and when we bounce back.’
‘Psychiatrist Stephen Peterson, chairman of the department of psychiatry
at Washington Hospital Center, in Washington, DC, puts it another way.
"Grief is impossible to do by yourself, because it is so painful. We're social
creatures.’
“If you don't have a strong support system, there are several ways to
create one for yourself: Talk to a therapist who specializes in grief and
loss, attend grief support groups, go to church or synagogue for spiritual
guidance.”
Besides accessing your support system, here are four other helpful things
to do following a loss:
1. Take good care of yourself – eat well, sleep well, put the emotional
needs of others after your own.
2. 2. Educate your friends and family – let your family and friends
know what helps and what does not; only you know how you feel and what
you need.
3. Allow yourself time – remember your grief experience is different
from all others; don’t expect the process of healing to happen overnight.
4. Look for meaning – expect to change and reexamine your life; “Ask
yourself what is important now, and how do I move on?”
A personal note from Susan: Sharing is a good thing. If you would like to
share your healing experience or think you would be comforted by what
others have been through, this message board may be what you are
looking for.
Jones Funeral Homes, Inc.
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