Have you ever experienced a traumatic or extremely disappointing event in your life? Maybe you lost a loved one or special friend unexpectantly; or a significant relationship ended and you were devastated. Often times, we seek to understand the purpose of these painful events. We may have many unanswered questions about the hurtful event.
Grief That Doesn’t Fit In: Part 2
If you have experienced a grief that is disenfranchised or if you recognize that others in your life may have, it is vital to find a way to make space for open mourning.
Often, when grief is disenfranchised, it is a result of beliefs about the way things should work and how people are supposed to relate to their world.
Grief That Doesn’t Fit In: Part 1
Disenfranchised grief is the category that covers grief that doesn’t have a socially accepted place to be recognized or expressed.
Basically, it is grief that people feel they have to hide because others won’t understand it, will dismiss it as trivial, or may actually get angry about.
Lamenting a Loss
When loss occurred, the community took the time to surround those who had suffered and allowed them the emotional space to offer a cry of sorrow and grief. Often the community itself offered a cry of sorrow for a loss. This is far from our modern day thinking about grief.
The Landscape of Loss
We are a society that loves to acquire. So when loss comes (as it inevitably will) we find ourselves generally ill-equipped to respond.
Learning to Grieve Your Loss
By the age of forty, most people have experienced some form of loss at least fifteen times. The journey takes courage. Grief is not an easy path to negotiate and simply taking the next step forward is often fraught with overwhelming feelings. Is recovery from loss possible? Yes – although the definition of recovery may need some explanation.
On Grieving: Crying is not Weakness
Grief is a normal part of life. With every loss we experience, however large or small, there is a grieving process that ensues. We may not always be consciously aware that we are grieving or we may not allow it, but grief is there. And if we don’t grieve fully, it will harm us in the long run, popping up in unexpected ways.
Thoughts and Habits Worth Changing
Changing these nine thought patterns and associated behaviors that interfere with your well-being could improve your mental health.
Making Choices in Seasons of Change
Change can be exhilarating, but it can be a scary thing because it asks us to step into the unknown.
Is This Anxiety?
There are important distinctions between a normal level of worrying and anxiety. Recognizing this distinction can help you determine whether your level worry is a natural response to a stressful situation.
