Finding peace when coping with grief and loss is not an easy process, it often takes a significant amount of time and patience. Whether it’s a parent or an uncle, grappling with the many feelings that arise after someone’s death can take a heavy toll on most people.
It’s therefore essential to help those who have experienced loss and may feel depressed, anxious, empty and like they are living an unfulfilling life. Ensuring these people have all the support they need can prevent them from spiraling and displaying self-destructive behavior.
According to The Recovery Village — a nationwide network of rehabilitation facilities that provides individualized care for substance abuse and mental health conditions — roughly 2.5 million people in the United States die each year, and five persons on average are left behind to grieve. There’s also believed to be about 1.5 million children in the U.S. who have lost at least one parent by the age of 15. Given that most states in the U.S. still don’t have laws that require companies to offer bereavement leave (or any other kind of paid family leave), the grieving process can be incredibly difficult. A 2003 study by the Grief Recovery Institute also found that U.S. employers lost up to $75 billion each year due to employees’ declining performances in the workplace as a result of grief and loss.
Here are several ways to deal with grief after a loss:
Signs of Grief And Challenging Emotions
In many cases, grief usually manifests itself in the form of loss of enjoyment of everyday activities like going to work, dining out with friends or watching movies. Some people also sometimes struggle to focus on daily responsibilities after suffering a loss.
Physical signs of intense grief can include modifications to regular sleeping or eating habits, confusion, fatigue and even difficulty breathing in some cases. Other people may also begin to question their faith after a loss. Thus, it’s important to speak with a therapist to help you make sense of all your emotions.
Tips For Managing Grief And Loss
Aside from regularly seeing a psychologist, there are several ways to confront grief after loss. If the person in question is a child, it’s important to speak to him or her in terms he or she can understand. This means not using too many complicated medical terms, observing their responses to a serious talk and allowing them the opportunity to ask questions or voice any concerns. If possible, sharing your own feelings to relate to a child who has suffered a loss can also be greatly beneficial to the grieving process. It’s also important to remember that every child is different, so avoiding triggers that might worsen their mental health is key.
In cases involving parents, listening, being patient and letting them open up is also crucial.
When to Ask For Help
The grieving process does not always last the same for everybody: for some, it can take just a few weeks to deal with loss, while others may not fully come to terms with a death until years after the fact.
It’s important to ask for help as soon as you feel that you are beginning to lose your sense of purpose in life and may be leaning toward suicide. Otherwise, inaction can have severe consequences (both short-term and long-term). A licensed therapist or doctor can give you the tools necessary to deal with grief after loss in a healthy way.
Resources Available From Harbor Light Hospice Providers
Speak to the experienced professionals at Harbor Light Hospice to learn more about the best ways in finding peace with coping with grief after loss. Although based in Winfield, Illinois, Harbor also serves patients located in Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Nebraska, Oregon, Ohio, Virginia and Texas. Harbor Light Hospice is dedicated to providing extensive support to all kinds of people who have experienced grief after loss.
Harbor Light Hospice has long sought to provide holistic care for end-of-life patients and their families, both onsite and at home. They work hard to offer coordinated care and 24/7 emergency support, among other services, to ensure that all patients and their relatives are treated physically, psychologically and spiritually. Among the other types of conditions Harbor Light Hospice’s team of professionals (doctors, nurse technicians, therapists, chaplains, etc.) have experience caring for are ALS, Cancer, Dementia and Alzheimers, Heart disease, HIV/AIDS, kidney failure, lung disease and neurological diseases like Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.
Call Harbor Light Hospice today at (630) 682-3871 or contact them online for more information about their services. You’ll hardly find a more compassionate hospice facility in your area.
