If you have experienced a loss, it may feel like you will never fully “get over it” nor forget the loved one. You may continue to feel overwhelmed with uncertainty and perhaps nothing at all seems right. In preparing this post, research has demonstrated that grief counselors, psychologists, professional caretakers, religious figures and others are in agreement that talking about grief helps. By not talking about your grief, it can feel like nobody seems to understand. Perhaps a question you’re asking internally is “Is there anyone that gets it?”
Talking about grief brings about a “me too” effect. It is a commonality not tied to the details of the specific loss, but in the sense that many of the emotions and questions are the same as the other grieving person. According to Dr. Alan D. Wolfelt, when sharing your grief outside yourself, healing occurs. Simply ignoring it will not make it go away whereas talking makes someone experiencing grief more understandable. Dr. Wolfelt encourages the grieving party to allow him or herself to speak from the heart, not just the head. Additional means of grief support come from finding individuals close to the person experiencing the grief who will listen without judgment.
Doctor Carl Alasko references research on grieving pointing out that recuperating from a loss through grieving is an individual process, so it’s natural that some people benefit from grief groups more than others. Dr. Alasko says the common factor in successfully moving through grief is welcoming the full and open acceptance of death. By talking to other people in grief support groups about loss, those feelings are encouraged to be brought into the open.
Dr. Alasko reminds us that life will always move forward and that actively grieving reconnects us to the forward movement of life. As we move towards Grief Awareness Day, we ask and encourage you to share your story. If you are interested, please click on the Share YOUR Story tab on this blog.
Would you like to share your story? Please get in touch with Kate's Club! KC has free grief support with grief resources, grief counseling resources, grief training, and volunteer work in Atlanta and surrounding places in Georgia. Kate's Club is a growing nonprofit in Atlanta with grief specialists for kids and young adults going through bereavement. Our goal is to make a world where it is okay to grieve.