Latest / Wellbeing Solutions - Ask A Counsellor / How can I maintain connection while grieving?

Transcript

How can I maintain connection while grieving? · Wellbeing Solutions - Ask A Counsellor

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: How can I maintain connection while grieving?
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Maintaining connection while grieving is about finding ways to stay connected to yourself, other people and where appropriate the person or life you have lost, even when grief makes you want to withdraw.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: Grief can feel incredibly isolated.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: You may feel disconnected from relationships, your surroundings, your identity, or even the person you used to be.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Allow connection and grief to exist alongside one another.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: Maintain connection with others.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Grief can make us withdraw because we feel misunderstood, emotionally exhausted, or unable to explain what we're experiencing.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: You don't always need someone to fix your grief.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes you just need someone to sit with you in it.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: If you are grieved with someone who has died, maintaining an emotional connection can be an important part of adapting to loss.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: You might write letters to the person, look through photographs and remember shared experiences, continue traditions that were meaningful to you both, talk about them and share stories, or create a memory box or personal remembrance ritual.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: This is sometimes called a continuing bond.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: Maintaining an emotional connection while gradually adjusting to life without their physical presence.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: Grief can affect your identity.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: You might question who you are now or struggle to recognise the person you were before the loss.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to be sociable every day.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Some days you might need company, other days you might need solitude.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: The important thing is to recognise the difference between choosing restorative time alone and becoming isolated because grief feels too difficult to share.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Find connection through meaningful activities.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Walking outside in nature can help you feel connected to the world around you.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: Journaling, painting, or music can help you express feelings that are difficult to put into words.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Spend time with people who allow you to be yourself without expecting you to be okay.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: You can move forward without leaving your loss behind.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Healing doesn't mean letting go.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: it can mean learning to carry love, memories and meaning into a different version of life.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: If you are thinking of harming yourself or feel unsafe, please call your local emergency number or crisis line.