EVENTUALLY, EVERYONE DIES: The living, then, carry the burden of grief.
Today is Grief Awareness Day across the U.S. But, what is grief and what is the point of taking a day to acknowledge it?
According to Taps.org, “Think of grief as the container. It holds your thoughts, feelings, and images of your experience when someone you love dies….grief is the internal meaning given to the experience of loss.”
Many ask what is the length of time someone grieves and what to expect. How long does grief last? Psychocentral.com stated, “There is no set length or duration for grief, and it may come and go in waves. However, according to 2020 research, people who experience common grief may experience improvements in symptoms after about 6 months, but the symptoms largely resolve in about 1 to 2 years.”
Sometimes, loss is not about death but about the loss of something else. The University of Washington explained, “The pandemic has impacted our routines, social lives, school, work, and more. It has caused the loss of lives around the globe, as well as the loss of normalcy…Persistent, traumatic grief can cause us to cycle (sometimes quickly) through the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. These stages are our attempts to process change and protect ourselves while we adapt to a new reality.”
So, how can we learn to cope?
Remember that the moment you are in will not last forever and that what you are feeling is normal. You are not alone, so be kind to yourself. This is something you can handle, even when you think you can’t. Grief is not linear and some stages may come back in cycles. Breathe, as needed.
