Grief holds no boundaries, no timescales, no right or wrong emotions. All of us will encounter grief at some time in our lives. Loss is not only with death. Grief can be experienced with the end of a relationship, loss of health, moving home, retirement, children leaving home to name a few. Yet bereavement, grief, is still a conversation many people avoid for fear of not knowing what to say, or of upsetting the bereaved person further. Grief can be an isolating, lonely place, but talking about the loss, acknowledging their grief, listening, can be a huge comfort.
National Grief Awareness Week, founded by the Good Grief Trust in 2014, aims to raise awareness of grief, and to help normalise conversations around it. Each year it starts on Tuesday 2 December and ends on the Monday 8 December.
This year’s theme is ‘Growing with Grief’. In the depths of grief it can feel there is no way forward, it is all consuming, painful, mentally, and physically, exhausting. It can feel impossible to grow with the grief, but I see this growth in my clients over and over again. Whilst the grief never goes away, their loved one is forever in their hearts and memory, new beginnings do emerge. These can start off as tiny shoots of hope. Hope may feel like emerging more resilient, adapting and reshaping, allowing life to grow with grief.
Wherever you are in your grief, you are not alone, you are not failing because it may be difficult to cope, you are grieving. Reaching out for help is not failure, it is a strength. My hope is that wherever you are in your grief, you find small shoots of growth emerging from its depths. For some counselling can help. It is a safe place to talk about, explore, and process your thoughts and emotions.