Coping with Grief and Loss

Coping with Grief and Loss

Our ability to grieve and adapt to the loss of a loved one is an important feature in the course of our lives. Change can stimulate growth. Loss can give rise to gain. If we do not grieve the loss, it can drain us of energy and interfere with our living fully in the present.

If we do not mourn, we may spend our lives under the spell of old issues and past relationships and failing to connect with experiences in the present. It is during the time of grieving that many people begin grief counseling with a professional therapist since they are likely better prepared than most to empathize with you and guide you through your journey of grief.

Affirmations for Grief

When you grieve, remember that:

  • Losses are a fact of life.
  • Every relationship is only temporary.
  • I need to be aware as possible of what is happening.
  • I will not always feel the way I do now.
  • My loved one would want me to get on with life again.
  • Tears are a sign of strength.
  • I am willing to give this all the time it takes
  • I need to do a lot of talking and crying – as much as it takes.
  • My loved one’s departure allows me to find out more about who I am.
  • My life has been disrupted, and now I will work to get it back on track again.
  • My grieving is my own – I, and not others will determine what form it takes.
  • Nobody else can take this life journey from me.
  • I will be happy again.

 “Give sorrow words: the grief that does not speak whispers the o’er-fraught heart and bids it break” 

- William Shakespeare (Macbeth, Act IV, Scene 3)

Recommended Reading:

“How To Go On Living When Someone You Love Dies” by Therese A. Rando

Helpful Website:

WebMD.com

Please call me at 949-760-7171 or text 949-244-8572 with any questions or email me at jimswaniger@gmail.com to schedule an appointment. Click here for an overview of my book “Building Better Relationships – A Guidebook for Men.”