Losses Other Than Death That Can Benefit from Grief Counseling

It’s no secret that death and grief go hand-in-hand. After all, this powerful response is universal and very personal — but it’s not exclusive to death. Instead, it’s a natural response to any significant loss. And, just like the grief one experiences when someone dies, it can leave a person feeling numb and unable to carry on with daily life.

Our team at Associates in Behavioral Science understands that grief is a very personal experience that affects everyone in very different ways. We also know that recognizing when you need help can be challenging.

Here are a few losses other than death that can cause grief and how our grief counseling services in Berwyn, Illinois, can help.

Causes of grief

As we mentioned above, grief is how someone responds to loss. And since it’s a personal response, its triggers can vary significantly from individual to individual. For some, grief occurs because of a distressing or traumatic event. For others, it’s a drastic change in life or daily routines that create a feeling of instability.

Common causes of grief include:

• Loss of a friendship or romantic relationship
• Loss of a job or personal dream
• Loss of a beloved pet
• Not making enough money
• A reduction or loss in support services

You can even experience multiple losses during a single event. 

Since grief is a natural response to so many different situations, it touches almost everyone at some point in their lifetime. As a result, it’s essential to recognize grief as a real and personal experience, as well as when you may need professional support.

Recognizing the signs of grief

Grief can take on many forms, depending on the person. You can also cycle through many different emotions or experience several at the same time.

Common emotional signs of grief include:

• Sadness or depression
• Anger or irritability
• Shock or numbness
• Helplessness or guilt
• Distress or increased anxiety
• Denial, confusion, or disbelief
• Yearning
• Thoughts of suicide

Grief can also cause physical symptoms, ranging from fatigue, changes in weight, insomnia, and dizziness to headaches, shortness of breath, and gastrointestinal distress.

It can take a significant time to recover from a loss — there’s really no predetermined timetable. However, grief counseling is always a good option if you find yourself feeling depressed, isolated, overwhelmed, or “stuck.” 

How grief counseling can help

The goal of grief counseling isn’t to get you to “hurry up and just move on.” Instead, it’s an opportunity to find the support you need so you can walk through your emotions and process your grief at your own pace. This is especially important in two types of grief situations: intense grief and inability to grieve.

Intense grief 

Intense grief is a very common problem that can be all-encompassing. People experiencing this type of grief often find themselves in so much pain, they can’t bear to remember happy moments and can only focus on the loss itself.

Inability to grieve

Unlike people experiencing intense grief, others find themselves unable to cope with it at all. This leads them to proceed as if nothing happened, burying their feelings where they fester and then reappearing at a later point.

You can trust our experienced grief counselors to work with you, guide you through the grief process, and offer small steps to help you cope with your pain in healthy ways. 

Have you experienced a loss? Learn more about our grief counseling services by contacting Associates in Behavioral Science today.