Current Post

Hannah Kilbert, MSW, LISW-S
Insight Clinical Counseling and Wellness

Grief. We are all familiar with it. When we hear the word, we most often associate it with death. I know I did. It wasn’t until I became a clinician that I understood that you can grieve anything. You can grieve things like a job, a loss of any kind, an idea, an unmet expectation of someone, etc. With the holidays rapidly approaching, you may find yourself feeling increased sadness, the urge to isolate, or even saying “I can’t wait until the holidays are over.”

As someone who has personally experienced grief of all kinds, one of the things that I have learned is that grief is not linear. Grief can come in waves. Some days you may feel you finally have your head above water and in the next, you are drowning in it. It can be all consuming and feel like it’s never ending. Grief can be traumatic, and like any trauma it has its short term and long-term effects.

When talking about grief, we often talk about the 5 stages that go along with it: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. There is usually no starting point or ending point. You can feel them one at a time, or sometimes all at once. Did you know there is actually a clinical diagnosis in the DSM-5 called ‘Prolonged Grief Disorder’? It is characterized by an intense and persistent grief that causes problems and interferes with daily life. Does this sound familiar? Throughout your season of grief, and especially during the holiday season, I urge you to ask yourself what it is you need and to listen to those needs. You are your own best advocate. If you need rest, rest. If you need a day away from the public, take it. If it means limiting your social media usage, please do it!

If you find yourself asking “How do I even begin to process this?” I encourage you to reach out for support. Be kind to yourself. Give yourself grace. Take the step for yourself to begin healing.

One of the quotes that I find comforting, and that I hope could provide some comfort to you is “Grief only exists where love lived first.”

If you are looking for more resources on grief, please check out some of these websites, our other great grief posts in the blog section of the Insight Clinical Counseling website, or speak with a counselor about your loss – to set up your first appointment call: 330- 397-6007.

https://www.griefshare.org

https://lifelineofohio.org/donors-and-recipients/grief-support/

https://helpguide.org/mental-health/grief/