If you've recently lost a spouse, parent, child, sibling, or another close relative, you may feel as though you're floating through a nightmare. The process of coping with a death, whether a sudden or expected one, can leave you wondering whether you'll ever feel anything close to normal again. But even those who are in tremendous emotional distress may shy away from the thought of grief counseling or sharing their pain with near-strangers. Read on to learn more about the benefits of grief counseling and how it may be able to provide you with some semblance of normalcy after a huge loss.
What are some of the benefits of grief counseling?
Grief isn't just an emotional process, but a highly physical one as well. You may undergo changes in your eating, sleeping, and behavioral patterns, suffer from insomnia, digestive problems, and find yourself unable to make decisions on even relatively simple things like what to eat for dinner. It's important to seek help in processing the emotions associated with your grief, which is likely more intense and long-lasting than any emotions you've ever felt before, to avoid any long-term damage to your physical and mental health.
Grief counseling can also benefit those who had a complicated relationship with the person who passed away. Often, much of the sadness suffered by the bereaved relates to things left unsaid or fights left unresolved. You may find yourself feeling angry or even enraged at the decedent for incidents and issues from the past that will forever lack closure. By talking through your feelings with a grief counselor or in a larger support group, you'll be able to go through the cathartic process of getting these emotions out in the open, where they can be addressed, rather than keeping them bottled up where they may turn to bitterness or inwardly-directed sadness.
How can you decide whether grief counseling is the right way for you to cope with your loss?
Many funeral homes can point you toward a variety of grief counseling services or even offer their own grief counseling on-site. Taking advantage of these options early in the process can help you through some of the toughest days of your life and provide you with the baseline of counseling knowledge and experience you need in order to decide whether ongoing counseling or selecting a therapist is the best way for you to deal with the loss of a loved one.
Contact a company like Gillies Funeral Chapel for more information and assistance.
Share24 September 2017
Hi everyone, my name is Sari Blakenship. My first time visiting a funeral home was an extremely comforting experience. Although I was blindsided by the death of my loved one, the funeral director helped me through the planning process without taking advantage of my grief. I was allowed to work at my own pace to cope with the grief in a healthy way. I was never rushed or pressured, despite the necessary timeline. Whenever I couldn't move forward, the funeral director held my hand and offered words of comfort. I would like to share each step of the funeral planning process to help others through this difficult process. Planning a funeral takes a lot of thought and time during a particularly difficult period. Please visit whenever you need a hand.