This is part II of a three part series on grief. In the last blog post, we discussed the five stages of grief and the loss of a loved one. In this post, we will talk about other types of loss, the grief that goes with it, and ways to cope.

As we talked about in the last blog post, grief is a natural response to a loved one’s death. Any loss can cause grief, whether it be from losing a job, a pet, or going through a miscarriage or divorce.

It’s important that you have someone to turn to; some people would rather talk with loved ones, while others prefer to see a therapist. Some people turn to their religion.

Many say that there is no wrong way to grieve—and to an extent, that’s true. But you shouldn’t turn to food, drugs, or alcohol in order to cope with a loss. Your physical health is key to your emotional help, and masking your grief with drugs or alcohol will only create more problems.

Here are some healthy ways to cope with a loss:

Don’t ignore your pain: Ignoring your pain will only make it worse. In order to achieve real healing, you must face your grief and deal with it.

Get help: Turn to your support system—friends, family, church members and co-workers. If you need something, don’t be afraid to ask. That’s why you have a support system.

Find a support group: Grief can make you feel alone, even if your loved ones are close. Sometimes, getting out and being with people who have experienced the same kind of loss as you have can be beneficial to your healing process.

Talk to a therapist: A therapist can help you work through your emotions and will listen to the problems you face as you are grieving.

Nobody grieves in the same way and because of this, some people just won’t understand what you are going through. Just because someone doesn’t understand why you are so torn up over the death of the family dog or the loss of a job, does not mean that you don’t have a right to grieve. Grieving is completely natural.

If you would like to set up an appointment to see Reka, you can reach her at 402-881-8125. You can also email her at reka@omaha-counseling.com or connect with her via Twitter or Facebook.


photo credit: Joris_Louwes via photopin cc