Loss in the time of Covid

Although loss is often linked with death, this is not the only loss people experience. The degree of loss people experience may vary, but the pain the individual experiences is still very much real.

A loss causes us to have to look inwardly and if not careful can cause you to start questioning yourself.

Making sure that you have the right perspective can help in moving forward.

Define your loss and give yourself the space to go through the process of grieving your loss.

Note that the way you grieve a loss is uniquely yours and yours alone. There is no “right way” to grieve a loss.

I once read the following metaphor on grief:

Grief can be like a deep and fresh wound. You feel intense pain, but that's part of your body's healing process. Without the pain, you might ignore the wound and let it fester.

As time passes, the wound slowly heals, and turns into a scar. This is integrated grief. The deep wound has closed, but the scar will always be there, raw to the touch.

However, sometimes our wounds become infected and fail to heal. This is complicated grief. The wound continues to cause immense pain, and only seems to get worse. At this point, professional help may be needed.

Note that the pain as horrible as it might feel is part of the healing process. So as much as you may want to try to avoid it, I would urge you to lean into it. Otherwise your body will find ways to release that negative energy, typically through body ailments like headaches, stomaches and backaches to name a few.

Below are some signs that would let you know that professional help may be needed:

* Are unable to feel any positive emotion

* Feelings of sadness are constant and not decreasing

* Experiencing poor self esteem and self loathing

* Feelings of worthlessness