5 Practical Tips To Overcome Significant Loss
Losing something or someone significant can be a difficult and emotionally challenging experience and when we have these difficult conversations with our clients, they want to overcome their pain and hurt quickly. They want practical and concrete solutions. Although there is no quickfix for significant loss, here we share some practical tips that may help you cope with your loss, begin to move forward and heal effectively:
Allow yourself to feel your emotions: It's natural to feel a range of emotions after a significant loss, including sadness, anger, and grief. Allow yourself to experience and express these emotions in a healthy way. It's important to give yourself permission to feel and process your emotions, rather than trying to push them aside.
Seek support: It can be helpful to talk to someone about your feelings and get support from loved ones, friends, or a therapist. Consider joining a support group or seeking professional counselling through a registered and qualified counsellor to help you work through your emotions and cope with your loss.
Take care of yourself: Taking care of your physical and emotional well-being can help you better cope with your loss. This might include getting enough rest, eating a healthy diet, and engaging in activities that bring you joy and relaxation. You may not want to get out of bed or talk to anyone but that’s exactly what is needed in small, manageable doses to build sense of normalacy in your life again.
Find ways to remember and honor the person or thing you lost: You might find comfort in creating a memorial or finding ways to continue traditions and activities that were meaningful to you and the person or thing you lost. This definitely has helped us - therapists in our own life journey.
Find healthy ways to cope with your feelings: It's natural to want to numb or distract yourself from your feelings, but it's important to find healthy ways to cope. You might want to lose yourself in a drink or with cannabis, with shopping or through other maladaptive solutions but remember you deserve better. Healthy coping might include exercising, spending time in nature, or engaging in activities that bring you joy.
Remember, it's okay to take your time and be gentle with yourself as you work through your loss. It's a process and it's important to give yourself the time and space you need to heal.
