Life After Grief

Grief is a highly personal experience. Losing a loved one is hard, but everyone experiences loss differently. There is no easy way to understand one’s own emotions while processing the pain of loss. This can explain how difficult it could be for others to realize what someone is going through. Everyone experiences bereavement at some point of time in their life, but nothing prepares an individual to face its shocking effects. The actual experience hits people hard and leads to difficulty in coping with the accompanying emotions and demands of everyday life. Affected people can experience varied intensities of emotion at different stages of grief.

Coping with immediate loss: 

Coping with immediate loss is different from dealing with it at a later stage in life. With the sudden nature of loss, it is not possible to predict one’s reaction to the catastrophe in advance. The thought of losing someone is scary and frightening. However, no one knows how to react when the misfortune befalls. Some individuals experience the shock and intensity of emotion at the time of sad news. Others might take it calmly in the beginning but find it challenging to cope with loss as time passes. 

Later effects of grief: 

Grief can take many forms and show up in layers. Some layers can be more invasive than others. Similarly, it tends to trickle slowly rather than bursting all of a sudden. Grief can continue to affect an individual over a long period of time. The latter stages might be more difficult as society begins to think the individual has recovered from the loss. It also becomes awkward to share these emotions with friends later in life. From a practical point of view, many people start to find work and education daunting as they continue to grapple with their pain. People around them do not realize they are still suffering, which leads to a lack of support from previous social networks. 

Financial problems: 

The aftermath of grief can lead to financial issues, which increase an individual’s worries. Many people find it hard to focus on work-related tasks while processing sadness. Grief can also make it harder to deal with challenges like disagreements with team members. All of this can result in poor performance and consequent redundancy. Losing a job is difficult for everyone, but it adds to the traumatic experience of a grieving person. The situation puts the individual in an unfavourable situation, making it tough for him to get another job. Funeral costs can make the situation worse for the grieving families. In such circumstances, the affected people might qualify for financial support to help with bereavement. 

Loneliness: 

Besides other aftereffects, the loss of a loved one can also cause isolation and loneliness. In some cases, grieving people find that friends start to avoid them and stop showing the usual warmth. One reason for that is the difficulty in expressing appropriate feelings to those dealing with loss. Some people find it awkward to offer condolences and console their friends in cases of bereavement. This leads to alienation and estrangement, which can cause the end of friendships. 

Similarly, grief-related pain makes it difficult for a person to maintain good relationships with immediate family members. In the case of grief, sadness can take the form of resentment, which contributes to low moods, grumpy attitudes, and intolerance. 

Mental health issues: 

Bereavement can lead to depression and anxiety in many individuals. Common symptoms include constant sadness, tearfulness, and lack of energy. This can be accompanied by sinking feelings, panic attacks, and negative thinking. People begin to question their relevance and place in life. It is common to wonder about questions like what is Qurbani? This is an attempt to understand the reality of life during the process of grief. Despite its pervasive nature, support from family and friends can help someone find their way out of grief. It is important to understand how grief affects a person to provide them the right support which can bring an individual back to life.

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