Saturday, April 30, 2011

Dealing With Grief {Part 2}

      In yesterday's post I introduced 4 healthy ways of dealing with grief and loss. Today, I will add 4 more ways to the mix. Remember that while some of these seem to only deal with grief in terms of death, grief can be a result of any sort of loss & suffering. Many of these ways I'm discussing work in helping to deal with any time of loss that you might experience.
  •            Learn to identify your “grief triggers”-certain scents, songs, TV shows, places. Weather patterns, as well as birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries, can be incredibly triggering for grief and awaken past memories. Be able to identify them and plan ahead. For instance, if you know your loved one’s birthday is nearing, plan out the day with activities and support. You can't always avoid these triggers, but if you have a plan, you can deal with them without letting them overwhelm you!
  •            Sometimes grief can move into depression. This can be difficult to distinguish, as there is an overlap in symptoms between these two things. If, after many weeks, there is still a consistent feeling of hopelessness/worthlessness, thoughts of suicide/wishing you had died with the person, inability to function, or feelings of guilt/blame for the loss, or feeling numb, then it may be important to talk to your healthcare provider or a counselor.
  •        Work on increasing your overall wellness: Choose one of the 17 components of wellness (see the Wheel of Wellness), write SMART goals, and work on that behavior. It gives you a goal, and you’ll be healthier.
  •       Engage in hobbies and activities that help you “get outside of yourself” and allow you to focus on something other then the grief for awhile.

Did you watch the wedding yesterday? Any fun plans for the weekend?

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