Grief and Loss
Loss and grief are inevitable and come at some time in everyone's life. There are many different ways to express grief and these don't necessarily reflect the depth or sincerety of feeling. Sometimes grief can be physically painful. Sometimes, behaviors don't make sense. Still, everyone experiences grief and processes it in his or her own way.
Vicki James has 20 years of experience helping people suffering a loss. She can assist individuals, friends and family members in understanding the behaviors that result from grieving and can help people move through a difficult process without feeling confused or misunderstood.
Here are some of the manifestations of grief:
- profound sadness
- guilt
- anger
- confusion
- numbness
- fatigue
- hyperactivity
- disorganized or scattered thinking
- lack of concentration
- restlessness or insomnia
- change in appetite
Grieving can vary in length and intensity depending on the individual and the type of loss.
Loss of a Loved One:
Death of a Parent
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Death of a Spouse
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Death of Child
The death of a child involves a different kind of grieving. It involves losing a huge part of our future, our hopes and our dreams for the child. This is a loss that we can never totally get over, even though we can work through a large portion of the grieving. The hopeful part of this is that we can learn to manage our pain, learn to live with it and the valuable memories that bring it on. Happiness and excitement for living will return and good things will happen again after we make ourselves ready for them by learning to process our grief.
Loss of a Relationship
Loss of a relationship can be the result of any life change that causes a disconnect between you and the people you love, admire or rely upon. This can be the result of tragedy such as divorce or death. It can come as a result of moving. It can be the result your child maturing to a new stage in life. It can be the result of a job loss or a promotion, the marriage of a friend, school graduation, the end of a long term event such as summer camp, team projects at work, church or social programs, even completion of building a new home.
Grieving the loss of a relationship can be anticipated or expected. Yet, loosing a connection with someone you depend upon can also cause unexpected difficulties that can require guidence and insight into understanding the feelings that come with the loss.
Loss of a Relationship can result from a variety of circumstances:
- Death of a friend or loved one
- Divorce or breakup
- Moving
- Loss of a job
