A Few Steps Towards Healing
by: Adam Cooper, Grief Management SpecialistThe loss of a loved one is always hard. You miss the companionship, you even miss the disagreements. You feel like you have a bag over your head and you are struggling through each day with no true purpose or direction. There are times when you cry without reason or you get mad at the least little thing. It is almost like you are in the middle of a thick forest on an overcast day, and though you are looking desperately for direction, you can only see trees. The question remains, “how do I get out of this?”
When you lose a loved one, your life is forever changed. You have lost a part of you that you will never get back and you have to learn to live again, without that part. In order to survive, you have to take that first step towards healing, towards getting out of that forest of seemingly endless trees. After a while you will begin to live again with the realization that life goes on in spite of your loss.
What are these steps you need to take? The list below is in no way complete, but is intended to provide a good starting point for your healing and continuation in your new life.
Grief Support Group OrientationOn Thursday, May 6, 2010, we will be having a Grief Support Group Orientation/Introduction. This is to familiarize people who are new to support groups what to expect. If you have never attended a support group that we have hosted and are interested in receiving the type of help that only a support group can provide, please try to attend this meeting. The meeting will begin promptly at 6pm in our reception room. If you cannot be there by the time we start, please respect the others in the group and enter quietly when you are able to. Please remember to park in the rear of the funeral home and enter the reception room through the gated patio. After this introduction, persons who feel comfortable will be joining our regular monthly group which meets on the third Thursday of every month at 6pm in our reception room. What length of time is appropriate for a child to grieve?
When a child experiences a loss, there is tremendous upheaval in the child’s life. Whether emotional or physical, positive or negative, this upheaval can be cathartic and life changing. The experiences that children go through during this challenging time in their life can allow them to grow and mature if they are allowed to grieve properly, or it can thrust them into years of confusion and unclear emotions. Even if a child is allowed to grow and mature and heal properly through this experience, the question is always asked, “How long is too long to grieve the death of a loved one?” Many people have wrestled with this question over the years and many different opinions have emerged, but we will see that placing a time limit on the grief of a child is neither helpful nor productive and in some cases can damage a child as they journey into adulthood.
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Grief 101 = SuccessOur first Grief 101 group has been a tremendous success. Overall 15 people sought the help that only a Grief group of this type can provide. The group started off as a six week group and due to the tremendous response from people wanting to attend we have extended it to eight weeks. The last meeting of this group will be the 22nd of April 2010 at which time the group will start meeting once monthly on the the third Thursday of the month. For those that have not been through the original eight week course we will be having one monthly Grief orientation group to prepare new members to join the monthly group. Anyone interested in attending our Grief Groups needs to call Adam Cooper at 770-786-7062 extension 121. When it's time: Sorting through your loved one's possessionsTime has passed and you’re finally ready to go through the belongings left behind by someone who has died. While some people may feel compelled to keep everything, and others simply want to get rid of anything that reminds them of their loss, the best course is probably somewhere in the middle. Solicit the help of a close friend or family member. (Too many people may make decision-making difficult.) Be prepared to take your time, and to split the responsibility into many sessions if you need to.
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