The grief from Hurricane Florence will be felt for a long time to come. Death, destruction, and displacement have affected so many people.
Those in the storm-affected areas now have to deal with that grief in some form or another. This GenuLines post will deal with things we all can do to handle the heaviness known as grief.
First I want to tell you about our next scheduled edition of Chi For Yourself.Danielle Dulsky will make her second visit to the show. Listen in on the call on Tuesday, Sept. 25th at 4 pm Eastern 1 pm Pacific time at chiforyourself.com
Danielle Dulsky is the author of Holy Wild: A Heathen Bible for the Untamed Woman.
ARTICLE
Grief touches most everyone at some point in their lives. But, no one grieves in exactly the same way in every case.And the intensity and duration of grief can vary from one person to the next. This is due to a combination of things.
These include genetics, personality, and previous coping patterns. Add to that any previous history of depression or other mental illness.
It’s also affected by the presence or lack of support networks, and the event leading to the death (ex. sudden, unexpected death vs. expected death). There’s been a lot of debate over when grief becomes something more.
Something that may need medical attention.
But when does grief become something more than “normal?” Clinicians are doing a sort of balancing act.
They want to be careful that they don’t “medicalize” normal grief. But they also want to make sure they don’t exclude those who may be suffering from clinical depression.
This depression could be set off by the recent loss of a loved one. Grief is a process, not an event.
In the early stages of grief (sometimes referred to as “acute” grief), symptoms can pile up.
Think intense sadness, trouble with concentration, and reduced interest in activities and people. There could be crying, sleep issues, changes in appetite, too.
And it would be no surprise to have constant thoughts about the deceased. Now, these are many of the same symptoms as seen in depression. Yet they are considered two distinct entities.
The experience of grief does not necessarily mean that the individual is depressed.
Eventually, grief can become less disabling and intrusive in one’s life. The wounds begin to heal as pleasure is increasingly found in life again.
Furthermore, grief has no set time frame. It can last from weeks to years.
There can still be periods where the acute grief returns for short periods during events. They include the birthday of the deceased, holidays, and other reminders and memories.
But, the acute feelings of grief eventually wane.
Sadly, some people have a very hard time finding pleasure in their lives after the loss of a loved one. Again, the process has no specific length of time.
It varies according to the person and the circumstances. In any case, it’s important to recognize that depression can partner with grief.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is another possibility, especially for violent or unexpected deaths.
To summarize: we experience the process of grief in our own ways. Keep in mind that grief, depression, and PTSD can sometimes work together.
Don’t ignore signs of depression and PTSD. It’s better to seek the opinion of your physician sooner than later.
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It is very important that you consult a physician if, at any point, the grief does not seem to be subsiding. Or if you have any thoughts of self-harm.
Your physician can help determine whether you’re suffering from depression or PTSD.
If so, various forms of treatment can help. These include psychological counseling and/or medications.
JohnK 9-19-2018
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Overheard:“Those who do not know how to weep with their whole heart don’t know how to laugh either.”
~Golda Meir
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