Grief is not just about death!

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Grief is the normal and natural emotional reaction to any change in your familiar behavior patterns.

Think about all the different changes that may be affecting your life. A change in an ongoing relationship, a move, a change in employment, a change in health – these are just a very few of the many things that can trigger a grief response. While you may not recognize or think of these as grieving experiences, it doesn’t mean that they cannot cause you emotional pain.

Grief can be very overwhelming! We spend a lifetime learning how to acquire things, but no one ever really teaches us what to do when it comes to losing them. The vast majority of information we’ve learned on how to deal with loss is in fact “misinformation,” and offers very little help on an emotional level.

Grief is emotional, not intellectual. So often family and friends will give us logical reasons as to why we shouldn’t feel sad. The problem is that grievers have broken hearts, not broken heads. Those logical reasons rarely help you to feel any better. How often have you heard the statement “time heals all wounds” and “grief just takes time.” Time is not a factor in any way throughout your recovery from a loss. Time just goes by and allows you to become accustomed to feeling that emotional pain. It is what you do with that time that matters when it comes to moving forward with your life.

Don’t be surprised if you see something that reminds you of a fond memory of your loved one and then find yourself suddenly sad over any number of other things. Your ongoing grief will remind you of things you might have wished had been different, better, or more in your relationship. Those tears may be a sign that you have “unfinished business” in your relationship that you need to address. That is where you might find working with me and using the action plan in The Grief Recovery Method helpful. While you may continue to miss the physical presence of that relationship, you can greatly reduce the level of emotional pain that prevents you from enjoying your fond memories.

I look forward to the possibility of working with you soon!

Pet Loss and how it affects you

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Sunday, September 12th, is National Pet Memorial Day. This is a day in which we look back and reflect on one, or many pets, that we may have had throughout our lifetime that are no longer with us. A pet is an extension of our family, a companion, and a great friend. The bond you have with a pet is different than those shared with a human. Many may find that our family or friends cannot understand the level of grief that we are going through, and please know, this is normal.

When a pet passes many people try to move on quickly which dismisses the real impact. Sometimes people may even attempt to replace the pet almost immediately. These are just 2 out of 6 myths that are discussed and can be found in the book Grief Recovery Handbook for Pet Loss.

I hope first you are able to reach out to me so I can help you through this process. Although I also want to recommend this book as it has been able to help many address the pain that comes with the loss of a pet as well as ultimately, how to move on with life.

https://www.griefrecoverymethod.com/books/grief-recovery-handbook-pet-loss