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 close friendship)
Loss of a job (termination or retirement)
Loss of financial status, an important role or freedom
Illness

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.

The stages are not linear and not everyone experiences all five stages. This 5-stage model is meant to help normalize the grieving process and educate individuals that you have to let yourself feel your way through your grief. Practicing mindfulness can be helpful in dealing with the pain. Go to my Mindfulness page to learn more and experience some short guided meditations. Practicing yoga is also highly effective and you can learn more about that 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.

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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

"Grief can be the garden of compassion.
If you keep your heart open through everything,
your pain can become your greatest ally
in your life's search for love and wisdom."
Rumi