Our current time has slowed down, and we feel emotions stronger than ever. Have you experienced too many feelings at once? An unexpected outburst that you were not able to reason, and you wish you’d responded better? It is grief, a sentiment we often ignore for many reasons – social stigma being one of the main. Yet, many we know could relate to everything above and beyond. So, we decided to dig deeper to get you all the answers to this feeling of ‘grief.’
Let’s start with understanding the impact of unresolved grief. If anxiety is not handled well, we feel victimized and caught in a vicious cycle. Our subconscious mind develops underlying fears as a result. Therefore, we often make unreasoned, irrational decisions. As a result, people often close themselves off from experiencing grief. By limiting ourselves, we lose out on the opportunities to experience life to the fullest. As well as avoiding love, attachment, career advancement, and celebrations, we refrain from love. According to psychologist Dr. Vidhya Nair, some clients may also suffer from insomnia or headaches. “It is a method one must embrace,” she says.
Grief Management Techniques
Acknowledge and feel: Acknowledging is the primary step to self-care. “One can feel different sentiments while grieving and they are all valid,” notes Dr. Nair. There is no one way; each one is conditioned differently. Some may cry, some may feel angry or distant, and some may want a vacation. So allow yourself to handle all the emotions fully.
Affirmations and positive reasoning: Improve yourself. People often enter the blame zone after suffering a loss. Declarations like ‘I am worthy’ and ‘I am brave and courageous’ help us properly re-construct our subconscious mind. Affirmations work slowly and need to be diligently practiced. Bringing back solidarity would be a good thing.
Complete the cycle: Grief has a five-stage lifecycle that begins with the occurrence of the event.
- Astonishment occurs in the first stage because you were not prepared for the loss.
- The second stage is denial, i.e., refusing to believe the possibility.
- The third stage is memories, where you reminisce all the moments you once experienced before the event.
- The fourth stage is acceptance and letting go, wherein you make peace, free yourself, and take back the charge of your life.
- Lastly, the open space is a stage you make space for the new. You feel good, and you would hear yourself saying things like, “Everything happens for good, I do not regret the experience, I’ve learnt my lessons and I am ready to move on.”
Talk and seek help if necessary: You may need help if you don’t feel able to forget the experience if it’s causing a continuous disturbance. Speak to someone you trust about it, and feel free to seek help from a therapist.
Benefits Of Grief Management
Primarily you feel good! You reflect and cherish instead of feeling victimized. By learning from the experience, you will be able to grow in the future by understanding what suits you best in the end, feeling grateful for what you have. Finally, you reach a point of self-love and confidence. “I would like to say goodbye to everyone who is grieving right now. Please be gentle with yourself, and ask for help if you feel you don’t know how to process your emotions.” Dr. Nair concludes.