National Grief Awareness Week is taking place from 2 – 8 December 2020.
Grief can be a very heavy pain that accompanies a loss or change of any kind. Many people grieve following the loss of someone they loved or cared about. Grief doesn’t only occur with a death, but can also occur following other types of loss or changes that happen in life, such as the end of a relationship, or moving to a new location.
It is important to say that grief is a normal and natural emotional response to a loss. It can affect people in many different ways and they may feel a range of different emotions during this time including; anger, sadness, shock, guilt, denial.
2020 has brought a lot of loss – of loved ones, friends or family members, of normality and routine, such as going into college, of the freedom to socialise and do everyday activities and much more. It’s been a challenging year and it is important to say that these examples - and more - are all valid losses people may be experiencing.
Everyone will grieve in their own way, and at their own pace. It is a unique experience to every person and there is no ‘right way’ to do so – it’s important for each person to do what feels right for them. A person may have experienced grief before, or this may be the first year that they have had a loss and may be looking for some support on how to help themselves during the grieving process.
Moreover, if they have had a loss this year it may have felt very different for them or been a new and difficult experience during COVID. It is really important for people to take care of themselves following a loss, remembering to eat regularly and get enough rest. Many people find that talking to a family member or friend about their memories or feelings is very helpful.
Giving time and permission to grieve too is also important for each individual, to allow them to acknowledge and let their emotions out. They should try to stay connected and let their family or friends know what they need – rather than isolating themselves from others.
People should remember it’s normal to feel a variety of different emotions following a loss, and it can take time to become less painful, but there are help and resources out there.
There are free resources on Togetherall on the topic of coping with grief and loss - people may be wanting to know more information about the grieving process and how it may affect them, as well as looking for tools on how to self-care following a loss.
For more information, please visit Togetherall here - you can sign up for free using your college email address.