Bereavement
Have you suffered a loss? Find the support you need with bereavement counselling.
How grief can affect our mental health
Coming to terms with the loss of a person who is dear to us is never easy. Despite the fact that the inevitable loss that humans experience throughout life is well understood, our coping mechanisms for dealing with grief may not always ensure that we deal effectively with the deep emotions that manifest within the grieving period. Feelings of anger, depression, apathy, guilt and shock are part of a spectrum of emotions that can leave an imprint long after the initial loss and can lead to persisting mental health difficulties if left unprocessed.
As complicated as bereavement is, it is vital that we find a healthy method in which to navigate the experience of loss. During this period we may feel that both the situation and emotions that we feel are almost overwhelming. This sense that we have an inability to move forward can create feelings of helplessness and the potential to disrupt our lives into the future. Understanding our responses to loss can help us gain an insight into how best to find acceptance and resolution.
What is bereavement and what are the common responses to grief?
Bereavement and grief are often seen to operate in stages. The first and most common reaction is usually a period of shock in which it is difficult to believe what has happened. This is quite often followed by a process of denial, during which you may find that you continue to operate as you did before and act as if very little has changed.
This could include pursuing activities normally associated with the person that you have lost despite the distress that it may later cause. This then can lead to more intense feelings, that of anger, guilt, and regret. However, feelings such as these can present themselves in a variety of ways. Outbursts of emotion, behaviour that is out of character, and the need to blame others can all be attributed to a stage within the grieving process.
Depression and symptoms such as exhaustion, irritation, aches, pains, lack of motivation and the wish to withdraw from social interaction are commonplace. These feelings of deep loss can often result in a sense of purposelessness. However, as time goes on you will move forward into a stage of acceptance, and an understanding that life must and will go on.
During this stage you will discover that your ability to engage fully in the world around you will become easier and that the intense feelings that surround the loss that you have suffered are beginning to dissipate. This does not mean that you do not think about the loss, but that it becomes easier to manage and not as all-encompassing.
What support can help me through bereavement?
Arriving at a stage of acceptance after the loss of a loved one is a journey which is different for each individual. Counselling offers a way in which to explore the complicated variety of emotions in an environment that gives the grieving process space and for painful feelings to be understood and addressed. During your sessions with your bereavement counsellor, you can learn to develop intuitive coping methods to help you adjust and adapt whilst being offered the very best in emotional support. Bereavement counselling builds upon a practice of understanding your needs and emotions as well as guiding you through each stage of your particular loss.
Online Therapy Compnay Bereavement Counsellors
Our online bereavement counsellors understand that bereavement can take many shapes and forms. Although the death of someone close to us is a common cause for reaching out to a bereavement counsellor, a deep sense of loss can be associated with:
- miscarriage and abortion
- personal injury or illness
- redundancy
- moving house
- the end of relationship
- children leaving home
Grief, and the painful emotions that are created by it, are therefore prevalent in many scenarios. It is for that reason that Online Therapy Clinic counsellors have both the experience and training necessary in providing only the very best support to ensure that each individual can reconcile their sense of loss.
Our online psychologists understand that resolving any issue of bereavement is a process that cannot be rushed and that is why support can be offered for the duration that suits you and supports you most effectively.
We can offer bereavement help today
Please call to arrange a consultation, or book an appointment with us online.