Grief has such an impact on so many areas of life and on us as individuals. It's easy to underestimate just how difficult it can be. Grief affects our feelings, thoughts and behaviours as well as having an impact on our physical body.
There are so many different feelings grief invokes, sadness, anger, loneliness, relief, guilt, shock, resentment and often you can feel more than one at any one time which makes it feel overwhelming, confusing and exhausting!
Grief impacts on the way we think and our ability to process things. It can make you struggle to be present, cause loss of concentration and leave you feeling disconnected and preoccupied. All of these reactions are a normal part of grieving although it may not feel that way.
Grief can change our sleep patterns and affect our behaviours. As part of the grieving process you may experience a loss of appetite, vivid dreams or nightmares or you may try to avoid reminders or become fixated on treasuring objects/memories of the person you lost.
Physically, you may notice changes in your body. You can experience increased anxiety, tightness in the chest, a feeling of hollowness in the stomach or lack of energy and a need to just sleep.
There is no right or wrong way to grief and if you are experiencing any of the above these are normal responses to a very difficult experience. People will experience things differently, you may for example feel nothing but numb. Generally, these feelings and behaviours will lessen over time however, if you notice that they are persisting you may wish to seek support. Talking through your grief will help you to gain an understanding of how you are feeling and help you to process the feelings. If this is something you would like to explore please get in touch and I would be happy to assist.