Grief Counseling in Tampa

"How will I go on?"

Your heart hurts, and your life has completely turned upside down, and, at times, it's hard to even breathe. You feel broken. Alone. And maybe even guilt. You may be wondering if the pain will ever go away.

Understanding grief and loss

Grief is the personal experience of loss, and it affects everyone at some point in their life. Loss is a wound and can be caused by a number of life changes:

• Death of a loved one (family, friend, or pet)

• Loss of a relationship (divorce or end of a close friendship)

• Loss of a job (termination or retirement)

• Loss of financial status, an important role, or freedom

• Loss of health (normal aging or serious medical diagnosis)

• Loss of identity due to life events (trauma, infertility, empty nester, marriage, or having children)

Grief can also be the result of a trauma, a traumatic loss, which can make it more complicated.

During grief, it is normal to experience a wide range of emotions, which may include sadness, anger, loneliness, confusion, fear, and sometimes even relief.  The feelings may become overwhelming; maybe you aren't able to function or perform normal daily tasks.

How to heal from grief and loss

There is only one important rule: As long as you are not harming yourself or others, everything you do, feel and think is normal!

Everyone copes with loss differently, and there is no right or wrong way to grieve. ​It's best to first focus on taking good care of yourself. You need plenty of rest, good sleep, and to eat well. Seek comfort from safe, supportive people. And above all, be gentle with yourself, you have experienced a deep emotional wound. 

Healing can occur in stages. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross proposed the concept of the five stages of grief:

• Denial - Unable to believe the reality of the loss.

• Anger - Wanting to blame somebody (including yourself) or something, having thoughts like "this isn't fair!" and "what did I do wrong?"

• Bargaining - Hope that you can somehow avoid the cause of grief with a promise to compromise or change.

• Depression - Feeling sad, discouraged, and/or hopeless.

• Acceptance - Being able to remember with love rather than pain.

Grief doesn't follow a straight path, and not everyone experiences all five stages. This model is simply meant to normalize what you're feeling and remind you that there is no right or wrong way to grieve, only your way. Giving yourself permission to feel is one of the most powerful steps you can take. Mindfulness and therapeutic yoga can be deeply supportive practices along the way. Learn more about how yoga can help on my Therapeutic Yoga page.

Take the next step....

It can help to work with a trained professional counselor to guide and support you on your path to healing. ​​ ​Learn more about me or call now to begin to heal.

Grief and loss resources 

• www.grief.com - Comprehensive resource on grief

• ​www.griefsupportcenter.com

• www.griefshare.org - Grief support groups​

• The Life Center - Local grief and loss support groups

• Understanding Your Grief - Book on grief

• What Do I Say? How to support others in grief - Book on supporting others in loss

• Dark Nights of the Soul: A Guide to Finding Your Way Through Life's Ordeals - Book on grief and loss

• When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times - Book on grief and loss

• ​Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying - Book on the dying

• ​Self-Guided Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction - Self-guided course on learning mindfulness