According to Merriam-Webster, ‘Grief’ refers to a “deep sadness caused especially by someone’s death”.
The process of reacting to a physical death, can also be applied to other types of losses. For example, loss experienced as a result of developmental stages, health issues, relationship changes, divorce… loss of a pet, job or material possession of personal value; or loss of a meaningful role, ability (such as driving) or the loss of one’s future hopes. Grief as a result of loss comes in many forms.
Being such a personal event, grief can be unpredictable for each one of us, and requires acceptance of whatever is happening within. As there is no right or wrong way of grieving, counselling aims to enable people to better understand their own grief and accommodate personal needs in order to adjust to a loss.
If you are experiencing grief as a result of loss, the active process of talking to a counsellor to get issues ‘off your chest’; and genuinely being listened to and respected, may allow you to map a pathway forward.