A very wise person explains grief as “one word for a lot of things”. Grief does not automatically mean the death of a person but rather it means the death of SOMETHING. It can be the end of a friendship, the loss of a job or retirement, divorce, a friend moving away, the loss of independence or the loss of someone we love and care about. Loss and change often go hand in hand with grief. These losses can result in pain, confusion and frustration.
While it is easy for us to look at others and make comments about how to deal with loss and grief, it’s important to remember a few things. Someone who is grieving, no matter the reason, is going through something that is very difficult, draining and at times overwhelming. People are not able to heal from loss before they experience emotions associated with loss and all it entails. The goal of grief is to find more love than pain. However, traveling through all of those emotions is difficult.
A few tips to help you journey with your own grief or to be mindful of when speaking to others who may be grieving:
- Acknowledge the pain grief brings.
- Understand and admit that loss can unearth many different emotions we may not realize were there.
- Remember that everyone’s grieving process is different; there is no time limit for how long a person should grieve.
- Be mindful of your words and take care to be respectful of other’s emotions and where they are in their own lives.
- Try to spend time with someone you think may be grieving, lonely or sad.
- Take care of yourself and be kind to yourself, grief can be consuming.
- Seek out help for yourself or someone who you feel may be suffering from depression.
- Attend religious or spiritual practices and try to socialize with others to the best of your ability.
Be gentle to yourself and others who are also grieving. Consider spending time with those who are likeminded or bring you happiness and joy. Senior ministry groups can be a great way to spend time with others who may be feeling similarly. Additionally, there are many senior programs for grief as well as senior ministries that meet to provide socialization. VITALity Catholic Healthcare is proud to support some of these senior social day programs throughout the Diocese of Camden.
For more information, please contact us at (888) 26-VITALity | (888) 268-4825
Loss and change are not easy. Grief hurts but remember no feelings will stay the same forever but some emotions can last longer than others.
