In everyone’s life, we experience moments that mark the end of a chapter in our life stories. At such times, you will feel the impact in many domains of your life.
The loss of a deeply loved person in your life may have produced unbearable emotional pain, paralyzing fear, unrelenting anxiety, unanswered questions and often the loss of hope, purpose, and dreams. Some grievers feel their sense of self has been ripped away. Too often, mourning people have shared with us, “I don’t know who I am anymore.”
Beyond the painful loss of your loved one, you may also be struggling with secondary losses such as financial, legal, relational, or vocational issues. There are usually so many other losses caused by the loss of your loved one. “Is it any wonder that your world has been rocked?”
You may have found yourself pretending to be strong, ignoring your pain, or avoiding the reality of the direct hit you’ve taken. Alternatively, you might wonder why you seem out of control due to a lack of energy, radical emotional shifts, and diminished mental capacity. Either or both reactions to loss are understandable and perhaps even necessary to help you survive in the meantime. Please remember – survival is initially your top priority. So don’t expect too much from yourself for quite a while.
And, if you haven’t yet really acknowledged the depth of your loss, don’t worry. You’ll get there. And, we’re going to walk alongside you, in a virtual sense, throughout your journey if you’ll let us. You don’t have to walk this road alone.
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
- What might prevent you from acknowledging the depth of your loss and how your world has been rocked?
- Are you able to accept that the loss you suffered has really hurt you and that your reactions are natural and normal?
- Will you give yourself some grace during this time of recovery?