Coping With Loss and Grief Lesson 3 Coping With Loss and Grief
Acknowledging Loss Everyone will experience loss and grief Grieving is a natural and common reaction to any loss that brings strong emotions Immediately following a loss you may feel as if your life won’t be the same and you won’t recover Acknowledging and understanding grief will help you begin the healing process and help you to cope with the loss and manage your feelings
Expressing Grief The Grieving Process includes stages of grief- variety of reactions that may surface as an individual makes sense of how a loss affects him or her Denial or Numbness Emotional Release Anger Bargaining Depression Remorse Acceptance (closure=acceptance of a loss) Hope
Coping With Death One of the most painful losses to experience If the death was sudden or unexpected the survivors may experience shock People respond to loss by mourning-the act of showing sorrow or grief Mourning includes: talking about the person, experience the pain and loss and search for meaning.
Showing Empathy Grieving alone makes process more difficult Ways to show support to someone who is grieving: Help the person recall happy and positive memories Be a sympathetic listener Don’t rush the grieving process or attempt to resolve the person’s grief in a day
Community Support Cultural background influences grieving process Mourning rituals generally take place to help celebrate the life of the person who died Telling stories or describing why the person was special can help you in grieving process
Coping with Traumatic Events Any event that has a stressful impact sufficient to overwhelm your normal coping strategies They are sudden and shocking After the even occurred, you may question your sense of security and confidence Seek support to help manage your shock and grief Try resuming your normal activities also aides in grieving process