Grief Awareness Week December 2024

This December, Grief Awareness Week starts on the 2nd of the month.  

By highlighting grief, the week is an important chance to raise awareness about grief, signpost support to those who are grieving and foster a better understanding of the grieving process.  

What is Grief? 

Grief is a natural response to loss.  Most of us associate grief with the period that follows the death of a loved one.  But grief can accompany the loss of an event or situation that we have come to rely on, for example, a pet dying, changing jobs, or a friend emigrating overseas.    

Grief is natural, it is the emotional reaction you feel when something or someone you love is taken away. There is no right or wrong way to feel following a loss. 

Some of the most common sources of grief are: – 

• Bereavement (death of a loved one). 

• Death of a pet 

• Divorce or relationship breakup 

• Loss of health 

• Losing a job 

• Loss of financial stability  

• A miscarriage 

• Retirement 

• Loss of a friendship 

• Loss of a cherished dream. 

• Loss of safety after a trauma 

• Selling the family home 

• Fertility  

The above list is not exhaustive, and you will notice that the process of grief and loss accompanies us throughout our life journey.   Going forward and taking opportunities, will also mean we experience losses.   

Whatever your loss, it is personal to you, so do not feel ashamed about how you feel, or believe that it is somehow only appropriate to grieve for certain things. If the person, animal, relationship, or situation was significant to you, it is normal to grieve the loss you are experiencing.  

What Does Grief Feel Like? 

Grief often includes physiological distress, including feelings of confusion, disbelief, guilt, yearning and a tendency to dwell on the past.  For some, it can lead to real apprehension about the future.   Sometimes loss can leave you feeling relief or nothing at all.  This is not wrong because loss can affect us all very differently.

Grief can also impact your physical health, making it difficult to sleep, eat, or even think straight. These are normal reactions to loss—and the more significant the loss, the more intense your grief could be. 

How Therapy Can Help

The feelings that can accompany grief can cause you to want to withdraw from others and retreat.  They can also make you concerned and even self-critical  Having the support of other people can be vital to healing from loss. One of the keys to recovery is not to isolate.  

There are many sources of support when going through grief including, friends, community networks and social circles, places of worship and support lines. All these can reduce the chances of isolation and withdrawal.  Some people can get through bereavement with the help of family and friends, while others may find support around them isn’t helping or isn’t available.  

The support of a bereavement therapist can be extremely helpful when dealing with loss.  

• Bereavement therapy can help with grief by providing a safe space to process emotions, develop coping strategies, and learn to navigate grief as a normal part of dealing with loss. A therapist can offer you useful advice and insightful support throughout your grieving process. A therapist will not tell you what to do or how you should be feeling, but they will put forward ideas and strategies to help you cope.  

• A therapist can help you understand and manage your emotions or lack of emotions, help you address a range of feelings such as upset, anger, fear and guilt and so you can feel better able to come to terms with your new reality.  

KlearMinds has a team of experienced and knowledgeable bereavement therapists who have helped hundreds of people feel better able to cope with loss and bereavement.  To book an appointment or get a therapist recommendation based on your needs, contact KlearMinds today.