Loss and bereavement doesn’t only include losing a loved one. Loss comes in many forms – losing a job, loss of physical ability, loss of a relationship or marriage, loss of a future dream that can no longer happen or changes in life stages.
Losing a loved one, whether close or not, can be complicated and enormously distressing and confusing. You allow time to grieve and let your brain naturally process – it’s not going feel good but you can’t rush it. However, there may be complicating factors, for instance, the age of the person, the way they died, unspoken words and the type of relationship that you had. If the end was sudden or traumatic, there may be a PTSD reaction – that you can work with and would do so within a month, if you’re having flashbacks or intrusive memories about the loss. PTSD can unstuck the trauma and allow you to move through the loss.
Grief is just love with nowhere to go, gathered up in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat and the hollow of your chest