7 Ways to deal with Grief

Surviving a stressful event or a trauma or losing a loved one can be really difficult for some people. The phase after that event is filled with negative emotions, good memories from the past that becomes hurtful, feelings of sadness and emptiness and thoughts of hopelessness and helplessness which we refer to as Grief. All of these combined can make a person feel low and avoid these feelings altogether but that is not at all the right thing to do.

According to Psychology Experts, grief can disrupt one’s physical and mental health by making it difficult to eat, sleep, work and think. One should accept these feelings and manage them efficiently to grow as a person in life and protect their sobriety.

Coping with grief can be considered to be a very difficult thing to do as it is intense and filled with negative emotions like sadness, anger and fear. Grief can occur due to any loss like:

• Divorce or breakup
• Losing a job
• Losing physical health
• Losing a pet
• Retirement
• Miscarriage
• Loss of a friendship
• Not able to achieve a dream
• Experiencing a severe trauma

Here are some ways that one can apply in life to deal with grief.

How to deal with Grief

Everyone is different and everyone’s way of dealing with difficult situations in life is different. The suggestions given below can help in dealing with grief but only if used often over a period of time.

1. Give yourself some time to heal

It is perfectly normal to experience some grief or sadness after a stressful event which is overwhelming and too much to handle. And negative emotions are even worse especially when one didn’t expect it all. So, it is necessary to go ahead and cry it out. It will be a therapeutic experience to let go of all the negativity and toxicity that occurs during the grief phase. Also, take a break from revisiting those hurtful memories and hang out people who are supportive and can calm you down. Invest your time in doing things that you enjoy and increases self-love. It will help you avoid falling into a harmful pattern of avoiding negative feelings and making things difficult for you.

2. Accept the reality and associated emotions

Accepting everything the way it is can be really helpful in the healing process. Allow yourself to grieve and be sad and acknowledge your distress. Doing this is very important as denying and avoiding overwhelming feelings can lead to mental health issues. After accepting the reality and working on your negative emotions start finding closure. Talk about your feelings and work through them, it can be really helpful for easing pain and increase comfort level.

3. Say final goodbye

It is one of the most important things to do while dealing with grief. This includes saying final goodbye to the lost thing or person or an event and then try to live again while focusing on yourself. Write a letter or a note to the lost person or experience (like lost job) as it will make you feel emotionally heard and overcome your negative emotions. Express your sentiments properly which will help you to achieve mental peace and completeness at the end. According to a 2019 study, writing about our feelings in our grief phase showed significant results in dealing with grief and cultivating positive emotions.

4. Do things that make you happy

Make changes in your life that will help you in dealing with grief and even help in your personal growth as well. Start practicing self-care and self-love and take care of your physical, emotional and practical needs. Get good quality of sleep, hangout with other people, exercise daily, invest your time in hobbies, learn a new skill, do all your chores on daily basis, make new goals in life and plan your life ahead. All of these things will keep you busy enough to not think about your past and help you to move on.

5. Replace negative thoughts with the positive ones

It is normal for people to think negative all the time while dealing with grief. As people start feeling guilt, angry and sad, no wonder they develop negative thoughts in their mind. Try to develop positive self-talk statements instead of negative ones. Don’t allow negativity come into your life and impact your future and personal growth. To properly cope with grief, give yourself positive self-talks all the time like “I love everyone who comes into my life” and “I am the best version of myself”.

6. Avoid self-destructive behaviours

Feelings of shame, guilt, failure and negative self-talk can make a person engage in self-destructive behaviours like cutting oneself, destroying things, etc. Whenever you feel guilty and sad, take all of the negativity as a lesson and move on from it. Look at the positive aspects of even the negative and difficult situation of your life and try to feel better. Become aware of your triggers and be prepared before time to manage them properly.

7. Reach out to others for help

While feeling overwhelmed due to negative emotions being experienced when in grief phase, one can reach out to others for help. You can call or text your friend or anyone you trust and talk to them to distract yourself from the negative emotions. It will give you break from negativity and thus when you feel energized again you can manage that negativity. Talk to someone who you feel comfortable with, or someone who has experience the same thing or you join a group of people going dealing with grief.

Grief Counselling on OnlineCounselling4U

If you think that you want to become better in life and deal with grief in healthy ways then don’t hesitate to seek professional help from the Certified Psychologists and Counselors available at OnlineCounselling4U. You will get support and guidance from the experienced psychologists who have been working in this field. We have wide variety of Psychologists with whom you can book your session very easily. You can book your appointment according to your convenient time, language and mode. So, go ahead and book your session at OnlineCounselling4U for one of the best online counseling services.

Call us to book a session today.

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